Did your loved one develop painful bedsores in a nursing home? If so, this could be a significant sign of neglect, so contact a Birmingham nursing home neglect lawyer at Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP right away for help.
Bedsores (also known as pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers) form on the skin when there is prolonged pressure on a particular area of the body. The injury damages the skin and any underlying tissue. When it develops, it causes painful symptoms. Elderly individuals and those with medical conditions are most at risk for bedsores.
Nursing home residents could develop bedsores when nursing home staff fails to provide the necessary care and attention. Bedsores are completely preventable if staff monitors their patients and uses specific techniques. In situations involving neglect, you could hold the nursing facility or staff responsible for their careless actions.
At Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP, our attorneys understand how devastating it can be to discover that your loved one has not received the attention and care they deserve in a nursing home or another elder care facility. You shouldn’t have to worry if your loved one is receiving the treatment you paid for, nor should you have to fret that their health and well-being are in jeopardy. We understand the burden that comes with transferring them to another facility, paying expensive medical bills, and wondering what to do next. Your best option to receive the financial compensation you and your loved one deserves is to contact a Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP personal injury lawyer who is experienced handling nursing home abuse cases.
What Causes Bedsores?
If a nursing home resident spends too much time in one position on their bed or in a wheelchair, it could lead to bedsores. Nurses and other staff should help their patients switch positions or get up and move around regularly. Neglect occurs when that doesn’t happen. Prolonged periods of sitting or lying down could cause severe problems for the elderly resident.
When caregivers don’t perform the following actions, bedsores are likely to develop:
- Reposition or relocate the patient
- Lie the resident at a 30-degree angle to take the pressure off areas or skin susceptible to bedsores
- Use devices that relieve pressure, such as foam padding or pillows
- Ensure bedding and clothing are dry
- Check on individuals daily to monitor their condition
- Regularly monitor patients at a higher risk of bedsores
There are four stages commonly used to categorize the severity of an individual’s bedsores. The stages include:
- Stage One: Sores developed but aren’t open wounds yet. It’s painful but usually doesn’t cause any tears in the skin. Additionally, the skin could feel warm to the touch, and the firmness varies around the area affected.
- Stage Two: The sores could open or form an ulcer. Bedsores become more rooted in the skin and look like a blister or crater. The skin at this stage could potentially die.
- Stage Three: Bedsores worsen and extend into the soft tissue under the skin.
- Stage Four: The most serious stage involves a deep sores that can penetrate muscle and reach the bone. The damage is so severe that it’s irreversible.
The nursing home staff that fail to assist those in need could be held financially responsible for bedsores and all resulting expenses. If your loved one was admitted to a hospital to undergo an evaluation or treatment, you could receive financial compensation for those bills. Nursing home neglect leads to complications that could become life-threatening if not caught early.
What Should I Do If Notice My Loved One Has Developed Bedsores?
Bedsores can develop in an extremely short amount of time, especially if the patient is very thin, has a blood vessel disease, or suffers from neurological disease. Sometimes nursing home patients develop bedsores through no fault of the facility or its nurses. However, bedsores develop from lack of movement. If your loved one has any bedsores, especially ones that are severe, it’s likely because they weren’t routinely repositioned correctly or often enough to prevent injury.
When you notice any bedsores, there are steps you should take immediately, including:
- Contact an experienced nursing home injury lawyer
- Notify the nursing facility;
- Transfer them to a hospital or medical facility to receive treatment;
- Document details regarding the situation, including taking photos of the bedsores, obtaining copies of all medical records, and getting contact information from those who witnessed the neglect.
Nursing home abuse and neglect cases are complex. You will need evidence that your loved one’s caregivers caused the bedsores because of their actions or inaction. To hold them financially responsible in an insurance claim or lawsuit, you must prove the following:
- The nursing home owed a duty of care to the resident
- The nursing home breached their duty of care
- The patient suffered as a result
What’s the Difference Between an Insurance Claim and Lawsuit?
An insurance claim gets filed against the nursing home’s liability insurance company. The compensation you receive is reimbursement for your losses resulting from the injury. When filing a lawsuit, you seek payment directly from the facility or individual responsible. The losses you incurred as a result of nursing home neglect are called damages.
The damages that could be sought against a nursing home for bedsores include the following:
- Future rehabilitation care
- Nursing care (sometimes around-the-clock, for severe cases)
- Transportation
- Pain, suffering, and mental trauma
- Punitive damages (in rare instances)
An experienced nursing home neglect attorney will need to evaluate your loved one’s case and inform you of the types and amount of damages you can seek. Be sure to take action as soon as possible to protect their health and wellbeing.
Was Your Loved One the Victim of Neglect? Call Farris, Riley & Pitt, LLP Today
We offer a free consultation for all prospective clients. There’s no risk or obligation to speak with one of our lawyers about your nursing home abuse case. We also work on contingency. That means you won’t have to pay us any legal fees until we recover compensation for your family.
We are available 24/7 to help you. Our Birmingham personal injury law firm has represented families just like yours for over 20 years. We will aggressively seek the compensation and justice that your loved one deserves, and we’ll make sure the nursing home facility is held accountable for what they’ve done. Call us at (205) 324-1212 now, and we’ll schedule your free consultation.
