Bedsores: Dangerous Injury in Elderly
There are over 16,000 nursing homes in the country with an estimated 1.7 million elderly people occupying beds according to the Center for Disease Control. Nursing home abuse and neglect is a continuous problem among homes in the United States. Often with nursing homes flooding with people each year, sometimes, elderly residents do not usually to get the care they deserve. Some residents in nursing homes are not ambulatory and need to be moved and turned around consistently. While they are unable to be mobile in bed and with age, the elderly need to be closely watched for developing bedsores.
But if this is not done, an elderly resident can develop bedsores, which can usually be fatal. An Arizona Nursing Home Advocate Attorney can help you if you if your mother, father, grandparent or beloved elderly relative has been a victim of nursing home neglect and abuse. An Arizona lawyer can help you and your loved ones get the compensation they deserve. Bedsores are a serious issue and the nursing home is legally responsible for damages, while your loved one is their care.
What is a bedsore?
Bedsores are lesions or pressured ulcers that develop in the body. The severity of bedsores ranges from a simple abrasion-like wound to a deep puncture wound. A medium form of a bedsore is a pink discoloration of the skin that develops when there is consistent pressure but usually when the pressure is relieved the bedsore quickly disappears. However, for more severe bedsores a deep puncture wound can develop through the skin to the bone or even right through an organ. Bedsores can leave a deep hole in the body and look fleshy and raw. Doctors often compare a bedsore to a burn wound, as the initial onset of a bedsore often resembles a burn wound - it begins to blister, the skins breaks, and the area becomes dry and itchy.
What causes bedsores?
- Humidity
- Old Age
- Nutrition
- Force
- Friction
- Lack of rotation
- Changing Temperature
- Pressure
Susceptible Areas to Bedsores
- Buttocks
- Elbow
- Knee
- Abdomen
- Ankles
- Thighs
- Calves
Preventing Bedsores
Preventing bedsores is as simple as constantly keeping an eye on the person and not neglecting their needs. The caretaker should constantly monitor the elderly resident and remove any pressure points that may cause a bedsore, both severe and medium. According to the Braden Scale of Predicting Pressure Sores, the caretaker should on a daily basis monitor causes of bedsores, especially mobility and friction. With proper monitoring and rotating of a resident, bedsore wounds and fatalities can be prevented.
Contact an Arizona Nursing Home Advocate Attorney
But sometimes neglect happens with little prevention taken. If a loved one has suffered bedsore injuries or fatality in Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa or elsewhere in Maricopa County, the nursing homes should be held responsible and an Arizona lawyer can help. Family is important; the care they receive by others when you are unable to provide that care should be the same love you would give them. Elderly Residents have rights and an Arizona Attorney can help collect damages for their emotional and physical suffering. For more information see www.nursinghomeadvocates.com.
