There are certain types of medical challenges that most people tend to associate with advanced age. For example, most people recognize that older adults are more likely than younger people to fall. They are also at elevated risk of a major fracture when they fall.
Beyond that, older adults are more vulnerable to infections, like pneumonia. People also associate bedsores with the sedentary lifestyles many older adults maintain in their golden years. Bedsores, or pressure ulcers, develop when people remain in the same chairs or beds in one position for an extended amount of time.
Bedsore development isn’t necessarily indicative of nursing home negligence. Some people are far more prone to bedsores than others due to their innate characteristics. However, bedsores that progress beyond the initial stage of development and infected bedsores are frequently warning signs of negligent care standards at nursing homes.
Bedsores are a known risk
The people working at nursing homes, just like the general public, are aware that staying in the same position puts an older adult at risk. They have the ability to protect the residents by helping them reposition themselves regularly, encouraging physical activity whenever possible and using cushioning to alleviate pressure on certain body parts.
People can develop early-stage bedsores relatively quickly. However, the first stage of bedsore development is relatively minor. Identifying the sores and taking steps to prevent them from worsening can help the resident recover quickly.
If nursing home workers do not check the resident for bedsores at likely locations and if they fail to intervene when they begin developing, then the issue may spiral out of control. The bedsore can eventually break the skin and move into the tissue below it. Infections can develop, and that could put the resident’s life at risk.
Family members shocked by the number of bedsores a loved one has, the degree of their development or the severity of a related infection may have reason to hold a nursing home accountable. Connecting bedsores to negligent care standards can help people take legal action against a nursing home. Families that understand that later-stage bedsores don’t develop quickly and are largely treatable are in the best position to advocate for vulnerable older adults.