Attorney in Louisville Discusses Pressure Sores
When weight-bearing areas of the prone body, such as shoulders, hips, elbows, heels, and the tailbone are left too long in one position on a bed or other flat surface, the body will often develop bedsores, also known as pressure sores or decubitus ulcers. Because of their age, their lack of muscle mass, and their fragile state, the elderly are at a greatly increased risk for developing these painful and dangerous sores while living in a nursing home or hospital environment.
When a person is moved into a nursing home, the resident’s family depends on the health facility’s staff to care for his or her needs. Unfortunately, nursing homes are often understaffed, or their staff members are undertrained. The shocking result is that many residents needlessly suffer abuse and neglect, including painful – and often, preventable – pressure sores.
Decubitus sores will only heal if timely and consistent care is given to the injured resident. If they are not treated quickly and correctly, they can develop into infectious areas that can lead to serious medical problems, including infection, and even death.
If your loved one has suffered needlessly from pressure sores, the at-fault parties for this medical problem should be held responsible for their negligence. To learn more about your possible legal case, and to get answers from an experienced attorney, please contact a nursing home pressure sores attorney in Louisville Seth Gladstein today: (800) 991-0474
Common Causes of Pressure Sores in Kentucky Nursing Homes
One of the most frequent questions that we hear at Gladstein Law Firm is, aren’t bedsore a normal part of being elderly and immobile? The answer is a resounding No. Although pressure sores are sometimes difficult to manage in seniors who are confined to their beds, our current society has the medical knowledge and treatment options to keep the vast majority of pressure sores from developing into serious issues.
If your senior loved one is suffering from pressure sores that are not getting treated, or that seem to be getting worse, you should act immediately.
Contact Gladstein Law Firm today online or by calling 502-791-9000.
In most cases, bedsore are caused by the following failures:
- Failure to regularly reposition residents who are immobile.
- Failure to provide adequate fluids and nutrition to the senior.
- Failure to keep sheets, clothes, and undergarments clean at all times.
- Failure to perform physical exams, particularly to those who are prone to pressure sores.
- Failure to get doctors and family members involved when pressure sores develop.
- Failure to follow through with a bedsore treatment plan.
- Failure to treat infected pressure sores quickly and consistently.
Pressure sores are often an indication of other problems within a healthcare facility. For example, it may be a red flag that the staff is not performing their basic duties, such as providing clean linens, repositioning patients, and providing adequate food and water. In other words, pressure sores can be the canary in the coal mine: The sign that there are other levels of negligence and abuse at work at the facility.
The Consequences and Complications of Bedsores
When pressure sores progress past their early stages, residents are at risk for a number of serious and life-threatening infections, including cellulitis, sepsis, bone infections and joint infections. Bedsores have even been associated with a certain type of cancer, squamous cell carcinoma.
In addition to the medical complications associated with bed sores, it is vital to understand how painful these sores are. Especially in their most severe stages, residents are lying on open, bleeding ulcers that engender both physical and emotional turmoil. In a sad number of cases, residents do not have the ability to communicate to staff members or family members just how much pain they are in. In other cases, they can communicate their pain, but appropriate action is still not taken to confront the problem.
Speak With Nursing Home Pressure Sores Injury Lawyer in Kentucky Seth Gladstein
We invite you to contact Gladstein Law Firm, if you or a loved one has been affected by bedsores in a Kentucky nursing home or long-term care facility. Your senior loved one deserves his or her golden years filled with comfort, peace, and rest – not with the chronic pain and discomfort of pressure sores, and all that they bring. Even if you are not sure whether your loved one’s pressure sores are the result of negligence, an attorney can help analyze the evidence of your case and let you know his or her expert opinion.
Seth Gladstein offers all victims of nursing home neglect, and their loved ones, a free consultation and case review. To learn more, please call us today at (502) 791-9000 or (800) 991-0474. Alternatively, we invite you to fill out our short contact form and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Help stop nursing home neglect in Kentucky. Call now.
