Many people trust nursing homes to provide their elderly family members with reliable and compassionate care. Unfortunately, nursing home abuse and neglect is incredibly common in the United States.
When a nursing home or caregiver betrays a family’s trust, it can be incredibly emotionally challenging. Victims of nursing home abuse and neglect deserve justice.
If a family member suffers from wounds caused by immobility, you may wonder, “Can you sue a nursing home for bed sores?” Below, we will examine many of the important issues related to nursing home neglect claims.
Fortunately, awareness of nursing home abuse and neglect is growing. Families should not have to worry that their loved ones are being mistreated when they are under the care of nursing home professionals.
If your family is concerned about the possibility of nursing home neglect, reach out to a knowledgeable legal professional. Families have legal recourse following incidents of nursing home abuse.
The accomplished personal injury attorneys at Morgan & Morgan have decades of experience successfully fighting for our clients. We know how stressful it can be when your loved one was treated poorly.
Let our skilled legal team recover financial compensation for the harms and losses your family has sustained. To schedule a no-cost legal consultation, complete the simple contact form on our firm’s website.
What Are Bed Sores?
Although most people have heard of “bed sores,” many do not understand what causes them. This type of injury is caused by prolonged pressure to a specific area of the body.
When someone lays down in the same position for too long, they are at risk of developing bed sores. These sores are also called “pressure ulcers.”
Victims of bed sores often sustain damage to the tissue below the skin because there is ongoing pressure on a specific spot on their body.
Especially for older people, bed sores may develop relatively quickly. This is because many elderly individuals have issues with mobility and range of movement.
When someone is confined to a bed for most of their day, the risk of bed sores increases drastically. Bed sores are categorized based on their level of severity.
The grade classifications of bed sores are as follows:
- Grade I – Discoloration of skin (blue, purple, red, or black)
- Grade II – Top layer skin loss or damage
- Grade III – Damage or necrosis of upper layers of skin
- Grade IV – Damage or necrosis to joints, bones, or tendons
The more neglect that a nursing home resident experiences, the higher the risk of serious bed sores. Higher grades of bed sores can result in severe medical complications.
Bed sores can present many different physical symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms of bed sores are:
- Changes in skin color
- Texture changes in skin
- Temperature swings and changes
- Swelling and tenderness
- Breaking of skin
- Open wounds or pus
- Other signs of infection
It is important for nursing home staff and administrators to ensure that their residents receive adequate care. When they fail to do so, the victim and their family can pursue financial compensation.
If someone you love has suffered from bed sores as the result of negligence, you may wonder, “How can you sue a nursing home for bed sores?” Reach out to the skilled legal experts at Morgan & Morgan to pursue financial recovery for the harms and losses that you have suffered.
Potential Complications of Bed Sores
Many people believe that bed sores only cause discomfort or minor pain. This is a misunderstanding.
Actually, bed sores can result in significant harm to individuals when they are left untreated. Older people typically have thinner and more delicate skin than younger individuals.
Because of this, they are more susceptible to bed sores and the complications that can arise from them. Some of the most common complications from bed sores include:
- Bacteria in the person’s blood stream (sepsis)
- Tissue inflammation, resulting in redness and swelling
- Infections of the bones or joints
- Pus buildup (abscess)
- Certain types of cancer–such as squamous cell carcinoma
Victims of nursing home abuse may be able to seek compensation for any of the damages that they sustained. When bodily tissue does not receive adequate blood flow, those areas of the body can become damaged.
Seek medical attention as soon as possible if you or someone you care about has shown signs of bed sores.