Residents of long term care facilities, which include skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, board and care, are often left unattended for hours in their facilities. In most instances there skin is frail, As a result, they can spend long hours in the same position in bed or in a wheelchair leaving them prone to develop Decubitus Ulcers. The Decubitus Ulcers can be very very painful.
Bedsores in a hospital or nursing home patient can be a sign of neglect or even abuse. This is especially true when the patient had no bedsores at the time of admission. Bedsores take a long time to heal, and often lead to life-threatening complications such as skin and bone infections. and possible death.
Bedsores are lesions in the skin that are the result of constant pressure on bony parts of the body like the tailbone, shoulder blades, spine, back of the head, hips, ankles, elbows and heels. Pressure on these areas decreases the flow of blood and oxygen, which causes the tissue to die.
Bedsores are most common in people suffering from paralysis, dementia, old age, poor nutrition or poor circulation. There are four stages of bedsores, ranging from a persistent area of red skin in stage 1 to often lethal deep lesions that reach the bone in stage 4.
About the Author
Attorney Steven Peck has been practicing law since 1981. A former successful business owner, Mr. Peck initially focused his legal career on business law. Within the first three years, after some colleagues and friend’s parents endured nursing home neglect and elder abuse, he continued his education to begin practicing elder law and nursing home abuse law.