Bedsores or pressure ulcers develop when people remain in the same position for extended amounts of time. The human body needs to move frequently to promote the healthy flow of blood to all parts of the body and to keep its tissues healthy.
The older adults living in nursing homes often have restrictions on their daily activities that can limit how much they move. Some of them won’t even be able to get out of bed without direct support from the staff at the facility. A sedentary lifestyle may lend itself to the development of bedsores.
Although people strongly associate bedsores with nursing home residents, that doesn’t mean that you should accept the development of bedsores on your loved one as an inevitable consequence of their age-related limitations. Bedsores are frequently a sign of nursing home neglect that require you to take action on behalf of your older loved one.
Proper care can prevent most bedsores
A bedsore will only form when someone remains in the same position or hours at a time, causing inflammation. Especially when an older adult does not move without staff support, those working at a nursing home can proactively protect residents from bed sores. They can assist someone by repositioning them, adding or removing cushions and helping them move to another piece of furniture, like an upholstered chair.
The worse the beds are, the more concerning the neglect. When bedsores first develop, they will just look like red, irritated skin. That inflamed tissue will eventually spread, with the inflammation going deeper. Eventually, the skin may break, and the tissue underneath may become red and irritated, possibly leading to infections.
Staff members at nursing homes should carefully check residents for signs of bedsores and assertively treat sores in the early stages of development to protect the health and quality of life of their residents. If your loved one repeatedly develops bedsores, if their bedsores progressed to more serious stages and if they develop infections because of bedsores, their poor medical condition may be evidence of neglect at the facility where they live.
Taking action when bedsores caused by nursing home neglect affect your loved one’s quality of life can protect them and improve the standard of care that they receive.
