Bed Sores – Signs of Nursing Home Negligence

Long Island New York Bedsores Attorney

Bedsores, also referred to as pressure sores or decubitus ulcers, are typically caused by a lack of sufficient blood flow to an area of skin. This happens when a person’s weight exerts prolonged pressure on a portion of the body, restricting blood flow to specific areas of the skin. In nursing homes, failure to attend to bedridden patients often means an elderly resident is left lying in the same position for an extended period of time. As a result, bedsores begin to develop in areas where bone joints exert pressure on thin layers of surrounding skin.

Early Signs of Bedsores

Typically, warning signs associated with the development of bedsores involves irritated, red skin. As soon as a nurse or attending staff notice patches of red, irritated skin, a patient should be repositioned and monitored more closely to ensure the affected area returns to a normal color. If unnoticed or ignored, a bedsore could develop, leading to an open wound leading to bone and muscle damage, even death.

Bedsores progress and develop through the following four stages:

• A red, irritated area of the skin develops due to a lack of blood flow to the area
• If left untreated, blisters or craters around the reddened area can form
• After a prolonged period of time without proper blood flow, deeper layers of skin are affected, leading to open bleeding or oozing wounds
• If a bedsore penetrates all the layers of skin, bone or muscle is exposed. This can lead to life-threatening complications and infections.

Holding Nursing Homes Liable for Bedsore Injuries and Complications

The Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 provides patients in long-term care facilities with certain rights and avenues for remedy in cases of neglect, abuse, and medical malpractice. Additionally, nursing homes that receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursement must be in compliance with this law as well as, 42 U.S.C. § 1395, the Federal Medicare and Medicaid Acts.

In general, the Nursing Home Reform Act requires that patients be provided a certain standard of care while granting them certain rights in regard to choosing their own doctor, privacy, voicing grievances, receive mail unopened, participate in councils, and similar concerns. In regard to the standard of care that must be provided, nursing homes are required to provide nursing, social, rehabilitation, pharmacy, and dietary services, as well as a care plan and periodic assessments for each resident.

The development of bedsores may involve a violation of the Nursing Home Reform Act. Here, a nursing home could jeopardize its licensing with the State of New York, as well as its ability to receive reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid under the terms of the Nursing Home Reform Act.

Contact Long Island Nursing Home Neglect Attorneys at Rosenberg & Gluck

If your family member is suffering from bedsores or complications from them, contact Long Island nursing home neglect lawyers Rosenberg & Gluck today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case. Given the bad publicity associated with bedsores for nursing homes, it’s not uncommon for nursing managers or other staff to try and cover up what happened. For this reason, it’s important to begin an investigation as soon as possible in order to gather all relevant evidence needed to make your case.