When you place your loved one into a long-term care facility, such as a rehabilitation hospital or nursing home, you expect them to receive competent care from trustworthy medical professionals. Unfortunately, nursing homes sometimes act negligently and fail to provide sufficient care to their residents, which can lead to serious injuries such as bed sores.
If your loved one suffered harm in a residential care facility, our Fort Washington bed sore lawyers from Friedman Schuman Layser can help. Our nursing home abuse attorneys take cases across Pennsylvania and can meet with you to discuss your legal options.
How Do Bed Sores Develop?
Bed sores, or pressure ulcers, are injuries to a patient’s skin and underlying tissue that occur when there has been too much pressure on the same area for an extended period of time. Bed sores most commonly develop on areas of the body that are more bony, such as the hips, shoulder blades, spine, ankles, heels, and tailbone. When a person is fully mobile and able to change their position, such as by turning from one side to the other in bed or by getting up and walking, they can minimize their chances of developing bed sores.
However, people in nursing homes or rehabilitation facilities have an elevated risk of developing bed sores because they may be unable to change positions on their own. If a resident is forced to remain in their wheelchair or bed all day without changing positions, they could develop bed sores, which begin with redness and swelling. If left untreated, a bed sore can become more serious, leading to broken skin and potentially even muscle, tendon, and bone injuries.
Our Fort Washington attorneys understand how devastating and painful these bed sores can be. If a lawsuit is successful, a family member could get the compensation necessary to cover their loved one’s care and other expenses.
What Can Nursing Homes Do To Prevent Bed Sores?
Nursing homes and other residential care facilities are supposed to provide their residents and patients with proper care. As part of that duty, facilities should make precautionary efforts to prevent bed sores, including the following:
- Ensuring each resident is clean and dry: If a resident experienced bathroom accidents, the nursing home staff should regularly check and change them
- Cleaning bandages: If a resident has bandages, the nursing home should regularly remove the bandages, clean their wounds, and apply fresh bandages
- Change residents’ positions regularly: If a resident is bedridden or confined to a wheelchair, staff members should help them change positions
Unfortunately, many nursing homes do not have enough staff to properly care for all their residents. As a result, staff members could neglect a resident, leaving them sitting or lying in the same spot for too long.
Our Fort Washington attorneys can investigate a case involving bed sores to determine how it happened, who was liable, and what compensation your family could be entitled to as you address your family member’s losses.
Speak With Our Fort Washington Bed Sore Attorneys
If you believe a nursing home’s negligence caused your loved one to develop painful bed sores, Friedman Schuman Layser is here to help. Speak with our Fort Washington bed sore lawyers from our medical malpractice firm today about how to recover damages for your medical expenses and other costs associated with this injury.