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Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect: Bedsores

Unfortunately for Virginia nursing home residents, bedsores are a common problem. However, make no mistake: just because bedsores are common does not mean that their presence is acceptable. Good quality care of nursing home residents can prevent bedsores from forming, and good care is what every resident deserves.

Bedsores can be a very serious issue. In the United States, bedsores are second only to adverse drug reactions as a medical care induced cause of death.

What is a bedsore?

A bedsore is the term for an area of damaged skin and tissue that develops when pressure cuts off circulation to parts of the body. When parts of the body do not have adequate blood flow, the skin begins to die from lack of nutrients and oxygen. Bedsores are also known as pressure sores or decubitus ulcers.

What parts of the body are affected?

Nursing home residents confined to a bed tend to develop bedsores on the back of their head, on the rims of their ears, on their shoulders or shoulder blades, on their hipbones, lower back, or tailbone, or on the backs of their knees, heels, ankles, or toes.

Nursing home residents confined to wheelchairs are prone to developing bedsores on their tailbone or buttocks, their shoulder blades and spine, and on the backs of their arms and legs where the rest against the chair.

What causes bedsores in nursing homes?

Bedsores happen in nursing homes when incapacitated residents are not moved frequently enough. Incontinent residents are at a greater risk of developing bedsores if they are left in moisture for too long. Residents with poor diets may also be at a greater risk of developing bedsores. The bottom line is that bedsores in nursing home residents are an indicator of poor care.

How serious is that bedsore?

Bedsores are classified into four stages depending on their severity. It is important to note that once a bedsore progresses to the next stage, it can never go back to a previous stage (bedsores never heal completely). This is why it is extremely important for a nursing home to do everything possible to prevent bedsores, and if a stage I bedsore develops it must be addressed immediately.

• Stage I bedsore: a persistent area of red or purple skin that may itch or hurt. A stage I bedsore is superficial and will go away once pressure is relieved.
• Stage II bedsore: an open sore that looks like a blister or abrasion, with red or purple discolorations around the wound. This stage indicates a loss of skin, either the outer layer (epidermis) or a deeper layer (dermis), or both.
• Stage III bedsore: at this stage damage has reached the tissue below the skin and caused a deep, crater-like wound.
• Stage IV bedsore: the most serious and advanced stage for a bedsore. Indicates major loss of skin and damage to underlying bone, muscle, and sometimes even tendons and joints.

Concerned about the treatment that someone you love is receiving in a Virginia nursing home? Please contact the nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at the Norfolk office of Weisberg & Zaleski to review your options for no cost or obligation.

Weisberg & Zaleski, P.C.

112 College Place

Norfolk, VA 23510

Toll Free: (800) 690-0235

Phone: (757) 622-7740

Fax: (757) 533-9223

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