Common Excuses Nursing Homes Give for Bedsores—and Why They Don’t Hold Up

Families are often told that a bedsore was unavoidable: that it came with age, serious illness, or circumstances no amount of care could have prevented. That explanation may feel sufficient in the moment, but it might not tell the full story. 

Modern medicine has made bedsores widely treatable with proper care. Below, we examine the most common excuses nursing homes give for bedsores and explain what those explanations often leave out about day‑to‑day care and responsibility.

Why Bedsores Are Often Framed as Unavoidable

Before diving into the explanations, it helps to understand the context in which they’re given.

Nursing homes manage enormous amounts of daily care, documentation, and communication. Families are not present for most of it. As a result, the facility largely controls how information is presented and how much context accompanies it.

Several factors shape these conversations:

• Medical language conceals the injury. Bedsores may be described as “skin breakdown” or a “pressure area,” which can make a serious wound sound minor.
• The explanation comes from staff the family relies on. When doctors or nurses deliver the message, families may assume the situation has been handled appropriately and hesitate to push for details.
• Reassurance takes priority over specifics. Families may be told not to worry before they’re given a clear explanation of how the injury developed or how long it went unnoticed.

None of this means families are being intentionally misled, but it does mean explanations can sound fair without being complete.

“It’s Just Part of Aging”

As one of the most common explanations families hear, this explanation is also one of the most emotionally disarming.

Families are often told:

• Older skin is thinner and more fragile
• Aging bodies don’t heal the way they used to
• At a certain stage of life, these things are expected

Framed this way, a bedsore can come across as something unfortunate, but expected, rather than as a possible sign that care fell short.

What this explanation leaves out

Aging does make people more vulnerable. But vulnerability is not the same as inevitability.

Fragile skin requires more monitoring, not less. Older adults who are at higher risk for pressure injuries are supposed to receive more frequent repositioning, closer skin checks, and individualized care plans. When those measures are missing or inconsistent, the risk of injury increases.

Age may raise the stakes, but it doesn’t remove responsibility.

“Their Medical Condition Made It Unavoidable”

Another common explanation points to underlying health conditions.

Facilities may reference immobility, diabetes, poor circulation, or cognitive decline. These conditions are real, and they matter. But they’re often presented as explanations for the injury rather than warnings that greater care was required.

The truth behind the explanation

Medical conditions that increase the risk of bedsores are conditions nursing homes expect to see. They are well-known factors that all nursing homes are trained to manage.

In practice, this means:

• Risk factors should trigger specific prevention plans
• Staff should anticipate complications, not react to them
• Monitoring should increase when vulnerability increases

When a condition is used as the reason a bedsore occurred, an important question is often left unasked: What additional care should have been provided, but wasn’t?

“They Refused Care”

Sometimes families are told, after a bedsore has already developed, that their loved one has been refusing care. The explanation may come as a surprise, especially if no one raised concerns earlier.

Why this explanation often comes after the fact

When a resident consistently resists repositioning, hygiene assistance, or wound prevention measures, that information is important. Families are often key decision-makers and advocates, particularly when a resident has cognitive impairment or difficulty communicating.

If refusals were happening regularly, families reasonably expect to be told while there was still time to address them. Earlier communication can allow families to:

• Ask questions about pain, comfort, or fear that may be driving the refusal
• Discuss alternative approaches to care
• Participate in decisions about supervision, medication adjustments, or care planning

When refusal is mentioned only after an injury appears, families are left wondering whether the issue was ongoing and, if so, why it was not communicated sooner.

“It Developed Very Quickly”

Bedsores are sometimes described as sudden or unexpected.

Families may be told the injury wasn’t present days earlier, or that it progressed faster than anticipated. Without context, this can make the injury seem unavoidable.

What families are rarely told

Pressure injuries typically worsen over time. Early signs can be subtle, but they are usually present before a wound becomes severe.

When an injury is described as developing “quickly,” it may point to:

• Infrequent skin checks
• Missed early warning signs
• Gaps in documentation or communication

When a bedsore is discovered suddenly, it usually means early warning signs were missed or not shared.

Looking at the Pattern—and Knowing When to Ask More Questions

Each explanation on its own may sound reasonable, but patterns matter more than any single phrase. Over time, these explanations can soften the seriousness of the injury, pull focus away from day‑to‑day care, and make the outcome seem unforeseeable, when the real question is what was noticed, documented, and done before the wound became severe.

Many families find it helpful to talk with someone who can look at what happened with fresh eyes, someone who isn't connected to the facility and can help make sense of a confusing or painful situation. That outside perspective can help clarify timelines, identify whether appropriate precautions were in place, and determine whether families were given the information they needed when it mattered most.

At Morgan & Morgan, we've spent decades listening to families whose concerns deserved to be heard. We know how difficult these situations are, and we have the experience and resources to carefully review what happened to your loved one. If you're feeling uncertain or overwhelmed, we're here to help you find answers.

Get started today with a free, no-obligation case evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are bedsores always a sign of nursing home neglect?

Not every bedsore is caused by neglect, but many are preventable with proper care. Whether neglect played a role often depends on factors such as how often staff repositioned the resident, whether skin checks were performed, and how quickly early warning signs were addressed.

2. Can a nursing home blame medical conditions for bedsores?

Medical conditions like immobility, diabetes, or poor circulation can increase the risk of bedsores, but they do not automatically excuse them. In most cases, known risk factors mean the nursing home should have taken additional preventive steps, not fewer.

3. What if a nursing home says my loved one refused care?

Refusal of care does not remove a nursing home’s responsibility to keep a resident safe. Facilities are generally expected to document refusals, adjust care approaches, and involve family members when refusal becomes an ongoing risk.

4. How long does it take for bedsores to develop in a nursing home?

Early skin damage can begin in a matter of hours, but serious bedsores usually develop over days or weeks. When a wound is severe, it often indicates that early signs were missed, overlooked, or not addressed promptly.

5. Do I need proof of nursing home neglect before speaking with a lawyer?

No. Many families reach out to a lawyer simply to understand what happened and whether the care provided met acceptable standards. Our team can help review records, timelines, and care practices to determine whether there are grounds for concern.