Bedsores are wounds that develop when undue pressure is put on the skin. This pressure restricts the flow of blood and stops it reaching the skin which causes cells to die. Bedsores often first appear as purple or red blotches on the skin. They can perforate the skin and form an open wound if left untreated. Extreme cases of bedsores extend through all layers of skin and cause the bone to be exposed, which puts patients at high risk of life-threatening infections.
Unfortunately, bedsore injuries occur frequently in nursing homes. Long-term residents with mobility issues are at an especially elevated risk of bedsores. Since they are unable to move about on their own, they may lie or sit in the same position for hours which cuts off vital blood flow to their skin. Bed sores are almost always preventable in nursing home residents, yet each year, countless senior citizens develop bedsores and other related conditions while living in care facilities that are supposed to be caring for them.
Fortunately, there is help for those who experience bedsores arising from nursing home abuse or neglect. In certain cases, victims may obtain financial compensation for medical bills and hold the staff answerable for their negligence through legal action.
If your loved one developed bed sores while under the care of a nursing home, the Virginia Beach nursing home abuse lawyers at Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp can help you determine if negligence was committed and help you file a lawsuit against the appropriate party. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.
What Causes Bedsores?
The primary cause of this type of injury is the loss of sufficient blood flow to the skin for a long period of time. If elderly care home residents are immobile and lie or sit in the same position without moving, blood flow to the skin can get cut off.
Some conditions that can result in limited or no mobility include:
- Injuries that require bed rest/wheelchair use
- Comas
- Paralysis
- Recovering from surgery
- Sedation
Data published by the Mayo Clinic shows that three factors can lead to serious bedsores in care home residents.
- Shear: Shear takes place when the two surfaces, one being the resident’s skin, move in opposite directions. Shear can also occur when the skin moves but the underlying muscles and bones underneath remain in the same place.
- Pressure: When the pressure of a resident’s skin against an object is greater than the pressure inside their blood vessels, damaged skin tissue is often the result.
- Friction: Friction is similar to shear but happens when skin is dragged across an outside surface. For instance, a resident’s skin could be dragged across the mattress while they are being rearranged.
Bedsores occur most often in the bony parts of the body such as the heels, ankles, and tailbone; anyplace that is not surrounded by fat or muscle.
Risk Factors for Nursing Home Bedsore
Residents with the greatest risk of developing bedsores are those with restricted mobility like those who are bedridden or wheelchair-bound. Numerous factors can increase the odds of bedsores among vulnerable care home residents, including:
- Age: Elderly persons tend to have skin that is less elastic, dryer, more fragile, and thinner than that of a younger person. This creates ideal conditions for the development of bedsores.
- Health: There are multiple medical conditions and health issues that could cause an elderly nursing home resident to develop bedsores.
Health problems that make elderly residents more prone to bedsores include:
- Dementia or Alzheimer’s: These conditions can make it difficult for patients to recognize when they need to reposition themselves. They may also prevent the patient from requesting help if they are in pain or experiencing discomfort.
- Conditions That Restrict Blood Flow: Conditions such as vascular disease and diabetes can reduce the amount of blood that reaches the skin. Patients who have these or similar conditions are at a greater risk of experiencing bedsores if they are not cared for and looked after properly.
- Incontinence: If a patient’s skin is consistently and excessively wet because of incontinence, the amount of friction between skin, bedding, and clothing will be increased.
- Muscle Spasms: Residents prone to muscle spasms are also at greater risk of having their skin sheared against a wheelchair or mattress.
- Poor Hydration and Nutrition: Elderly care home residents who are underweight because they are malnourished lose the protective layer of fat just underneath their skin. This makes them more susceptible to bedsore injuries. Additionally, residents who are not properly hydrated or are receiving inadequate nutrition will take longer to heal from bedsores.
- Smoking: Smokers have an excess of numerous toxic chemicals in their bodies. These toxins often limit the flow of blood and impede the body’s ability to heal.
- Spinal Cord Damage: Patients with spinal cord damage or other neurological conditions that impact their mobility can easily develop bedsores if care home staff do not regularly reposition them.
Bedsores and Nursing Home Negligence
When an elderly resident develops bedsores in a nursing home, nursing home neglect could be the cause. Neglect happens when a care home and its employees fail to properly care for their patients, and a resident is injured as a result.
Bedsores can quickly develop should employees fail to:
- Provide adequate water and food, resulting in dehydration and malnourishment
- Reposition residents with care by avoiding friction
- Move residents frequently in order to prevent undue pressure from creating bedsores
How Can Bed Sores Be Prevented in Nursing Homes?
The causes of bedsores mentioned above, while quite common, are also easily treatable. Employees are responsible for adhering to proper protocols, watching patients for indications of bedsores, and addressing them promptly.
Repositioning and Ample Cushioning
If a resident spends most of their day in a wheelchair or a bed, workers should move them regularly. Residents in wheelchairs must be moved every 15 minutes. Those confined to their beds must be repositioned every other hour. Ensuring that residents are on soft, clean surfaces reduces the amount of wear, tear, and friction on their skin. Fortunately, there is a wide variety of specialized mattresses and wheelchair cushions designed to alleviate pressure and reduce the risk of bedsores developing.
Caring for the Resident’s Skin
A care home resident’s skin needs to be monitored and protected properly. While residents should be washed with mild soap, they also need to be protected from excess moisture in their wheelchairs or beds. If a resident has incontinence issues, extra steps need to be taken to ensure that their skin is dry and free from infection.
Just as a resident’s skin needs to be taken care of every single day, it must also be thoroughly inspected. If a resident develops a Stage 2 bedsore because their carer never bothered to check them over, it could continue to worsen regardless of the amount of aftercare provided. Fortunately, proper monitoring can stop these sores from developing. Negligent monitoring is essentially the same as negligent care in that both indicate that care home staff did not prioritize a patient’s medical needs.
Ensuring Proper Hydration and Nutrition
Both dehydration and malnutrition can have terrible consequences for anyone’s skin, especially senior citizens. When an elderly patient is placed in the care of a nursing home, the home becomes responsible for their vitamin, caloric, fluid, and mineral intake. If a resident is not receiving adequate fluids, nutrients, or food, their skin can begin to break down.
Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp
Nursing home neglect, whether accidental or deliberate, can lead to numerous medical conditions including bedsores. Preventing bedsores and their potentially dire outcomes is a duty of care owed to residents by all care facilities and their staff members. When nursing home negligence causes an elderly resident’s injury, the facility is liable for the damages.
Nursing homes are obligated to care for their residents properly. If a violation of duty leads to bedsores, the home could be held responsible through a personal injury claim. For example, in one recent case, we obtained a $300,000 award in arbitration for an 80-year-old client after nursing home negligence caused her to fall and break her leg, resulting in an above-the-knee amputation.
If you or someone you love has been a victim of nursing home neglect, you can reach out to the experienced Virginia Beach nursing home abuse lawyers at Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp for a free case review at (833) 997-1774 or through our online contact form. We have offices in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Hampton.