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Contractures in Virginia Nursing Home Residents May Indicate Neglect

Virginia nursing home residents are at risk of developing contractures if they suffer from limited mobility, however with proper care contractures should not develop. If you have a loved one who has developed contractures while a resident in a Virginia nursing home or assisted living facility, it is important that you seek help. Prompt action may help the condition from getting worse, and by holding the nursing home accountable the problem is less likely to happen to other residents.

What is a contracture?

A contracture is a medical condition where a person’s joints are stiffly held in a fixed position. They happen when tendons or muscles near those joints shorten due to lack of use, stress, or uncontrolled movement. Contractures most often happen in the arms, hands, legs and feet.

Can contractures be cured?

Unfortunately, not much can be done once a contracture develops. Sometimes aggressive measures like orthopedic surgery may help, but this can be very hard on an elderly resident – and may not resolve the issue. A resident with contractures is also more likely to develop bed sores or pressure ulcers, as it is difficult for them to move.

Prevention is necessary to avoid contractures

The key to managing contractures is to avoid them in the first place. All Virginia nursing home residents should be evaluated for the probability that they will develop a contracture. This evaluation information should be used when the resident’s care plan is developed. Many residents will require special physical therapy – stretching, movement, etc. – to avoid the development of contractures.

Failure to follow a contracture care plan

If a care plan is not developed, or if one is developed but not followed (either at all or not followed correctly and consistently), this can lead to elder abuse and neglect. In some cases, the nursing home may claim that they followed the resident’s care plan, but staffers were simply falsifying the resident’s record without actually performing the necessary therapy.

Get help for abused or neglected elders in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and nearby areas

If contractures develop in a nursing home resident, an investigation can be done to determine why and how the resident was allowed to develop contractures. Please contact our Norfolk office to discuss your case confidentially with a skilled, compassionate nursing home abuse or neglect attorney.

Weisberg & Zaleski, P.C.

112 College Place

Norfolk, VA 23510

Toll Free: (800) 690-0235

Phone: (757) 622-7740

Fax: (757) 533-9223




Michael S. Weisberg, P.C.
112 College Place
Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: (757) 622-7740
Fax: (757) 533-9223
Toll Free: (800) 690-0235
Email: info@weislaw.com
www.weislaw.com