Bed sores are an injury commonly sustained by the elderly. There are a variety of different ways that someone could develop a bed sore while in a nursing home, and some of the causes can even be seen as nursing home neglect. Here are some of the things that can cause bed sores to develop in a nursing home in New Mexico.
Common Causes
One thing that can cause bedsores to form is continuous pressure on a particular part of your body. Bedsores often appear on body parts such as your hips, shoulder blades, your elbows, your toes, your ankles, your spine, and your tailbone. If the elderly residents of a nursing home sit or lie down in a position that puts prolonged pressure on any of these body parts, bedsores can develop.
Friction is another way that nursing home injuries like bedsores can begin to develop. Once you become elderly, your skin is more fragile and delicate than it used to be, so it is easier to sustain injury. Many elderly nursing home residents also have a limited range of mobility, so it is important for the staff to help their residents move around in a way that will avoid injury.
Are Bedsores Nursing Home Neglect?
Bedsores can definitely be considered a form of nursing home neglect if the bedsores formed due to the staff not correctly aiding their residents. As previously stated, the staff at a nursing home need to help elderly residents that have mobility issues to move, so they don’t get injured. This includes helping them get up and move around the facility in a way that won’t cause any friction on their skin, as well as repositioning them if they are sitting or laying down in a position that could put pressure on certain delicate parts of their skin.
Bedsores can range from minor nuisances to being very serious and even fatal. If a loved one has developed bed sores while staying in a nursing home, it is essential that you talk to the doctors at the facility to determine if your loved one is suffering from nursing home abuse.