PRESSURE SORES IN MINNESOTA NURSING HOMES
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Nursing home residents often receive fabulous, top-of-the-line care from professionals who are passionate about the safekeeping and wellbeing of others. However, not all nursing home residents are so lucky; some nursing home patients in Minnesota become victims of nursing home abuse or neglect, suffering harm as such. One type of injury that is common within nursing homes are pressure sores, a completely preventable condition.
WHAT ARE PRESSURE SORES?
Pressure sores can develop in nursing homes due to a combination of factors related to the residents’ health conditions and the care they receive. Many individuals residing in nursing homes have limited mobility or are bedridden, making them more susceptible to pressure sores. The constant pressure exerted on certain body parts, such as the back, buttocks, and heels, can lead to the breakdown of skin and underlying tissues.
Factors like inadequate nutrition, dehydration, and compromised immune systems can also contribute to the development of pressure sores. Additionally, if nursing home staff members fail to regularly reposition residents, provide proper support surfaces, or maintain hygiene, the risk of pressure sore formation increases.
It is crucial for nursing homes to have protocols in place to assess residents’ skin integrity, implement preventive measures, and ensure proper care to minimize the occurrence of pressure sores.
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM WITH PRESSURE SORES?
Pressure sores are a serious concern for nursing home residents. Not only are these sores incredibly painful, but they can also lead to other complications, including:
- Sepsis;
- Cancer;
- Infections in the bones and joints; and
- Infection of the skin known as cellulitis.
In some cases, pressure sores can lead to fatal conditions.
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HOW CAN PRESSURE SORES BE PREVENTED?
The Mayo Clinic explains that pressure sores can be prevented by a number of things, including frequently moving/changing positions as explained above. In addition to repositioning oneself as often as possible, things like keeping the skin clean and dry, protecting the skin with lotion or certain clothing, maintaining good nutrition and fluid intake, and using mattresses or cushions that alleviate pressure. Unfortunately, when these things are lacking within a nursing home setting due to negligent care, pressure sores are more likely.
WHY NURSING HOME NEGLECT OCCURS
The development of pressure sores on a nursing home resident’s body is rarely intentional; instead, it is often the result of nursing home neglect. Neglect may occur because a nursing home staff member is overworked and assigned to too many patients than they can effectively manage, or because the nursing home professional is poorly trained, and doesn’t realize how quickly pressure sores can develop or how serious they can be. Pressure sores can worsen quickly as well if they are not treated immediately, and sores may go undetected if nursing home staff members are not frequently checking for them.
OUR MINNESOTA NURSING HOME ABUSE LAWYERS CAN HELP YOU
Pressure sores are preventable, and when a nursing home resident develops pressure sores, it is typically because they were neglected by a nursing home professional. Intentional or not, a nursing home needs to be held responsible for this harm, and patients and their families should be compensated.
At the Kosieradzki & Smith Law Firm LLC, our Minnesota nursing home neglect attorneys want to do our part to ensure that nursing home residents receive the care they deserve. If your loved one has suffered pressure sores, with or without other complications, we want to talk with you. Please contact us today to schedule a free consultation and learn more.
CASES WE HANDLE
- Bed Rails / Asphyxiation
- Billing Fraud
- Brain Injury
- Burns
- Choking
- Elder Issues
- Falls & Trauma
- False Records
- Fracture Injuries
- Mechanical Lift Misuse
- Malnutrition / Dehydration
- Mechanical Misuse
- Medication Errors
- Nursing Home Overview
- Physical Abuse
- Pressure Sores / Bed Sores
- Decubitus
- Sepsis / Infection
- Sexual Abuse
- Special Focus Facility
- Wandering & Elopement
- Weight Loss
- Wrongful Death
THE ATTORNEYS AT KOSIERADZKI • SMITH
The Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm represents clients throughout the Minneapolis-St. Paul Twin Cities area, the state of Minnesota and nationally, in cases involving catastrophic injury, including nursing home abuse, wrongful death, medical malpractice, products liability, vehicle accidents, trucking accidents, slip and fall accidents and premises liability, and other serious injuries caused by others’ wrongful and negligent acts.
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