When people are immobilized from injury or the effects of age, their confinement to a bed or wheelchair leaves them vulnerable to bedsores. These extremely painful wounds have the potential to lead to life-threatening medical complications.
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Care providers must take measures to prevent bedsores from developing in patients. Unfortunately, in cases of nursing home abuse or neglect, bedsores are one of the most common signs that proper care is not being provided.
Inadequate attention, lack of proper repositioning, or failure to monitor vulnerable individuals can result in these painful sores, which are preventable with the right care. Understanding how long does it take to get a bedsore and recognizing the signs of neglect is crucial for anyone with a loved one in a nursing home or long-term care facility.
If you or a loved one suffers because a care team fails in its duty, Pierce Skrabanek can help hold them accountable and fight for compensation. Call to speak to our bedsores and pressure ulcer lawyers at (832) 690-7000, or contact us online for a free consultation.
The Mayo Clinic describes bedsores as “injuries to the skin and the tissue below the skin that are due to pressure on the skin for a long time.” Typically, bedsores appear on the skin covering bony areas, including heels, ankles, hips, and tailbones. Other names for these wounds include:
Pressure sores develop in stages, with symptoms increasing through each stage.
Bedsores start out as reddened or discolored areas on the skin that feel warm and don’t blanch when pressed. Care teams should notice these areas and implement immediate measures to prevent the wounds from progressing, and if they don’t, our skilled bedsores and pressure ulcer lawyers can work to hold them responsible.
Untreated bedsores develop over four stages:
Nursing home residents often have extremely limited mobility and rely on caregivers for all their needs, including position changes, cleaning, daily walks, and more. When left immobilized on a bed or in a wheelchair, residents can develop sores within hours, especially older adults whose skin has thinned with age. Caregivers are responsible for adjusting residents’ positions, and failure to perform this duty could be a sign of elder abuse or neglect.
Position adjustment is essential to preventing bedsores. It is the care team’s legal responsibility to administer this measure, and you may have grounds to sue a hospital or nursing care facility for resulting bedsores. When you see evidence of this failure and neglect, you should report the abuse.
The team at Pierce Skrabanek can help you through the reporting process and manage your claim against the facility. We are not intimidated by tough opponents, whether they be large hospitals or well-represented nursing care facilities.
As tough negotiators, we will demand a fair settlement for your loved one’s suffering, and if the other side is not cooperative, our experienced trial attorneys will be prepared to fight for you in court. Give us a call at (832) 690-7000 or contact us online so we can get to work.
Unfortunately, there are many additional ways nursing home or hospital residents experience abuse. Almost all forms of abuse can contribute to the onset of bedsores and speed up how fast a pressure sore takes to develop.
The wounds can form in as little as two to three hours. They can even advance through the stages in that same amount of time. For example, residents may experience:
You can help protect your loved one from developing bedsores or other injuries by taking steps to prevent nursing home abuse. Stay present in your loved one’s life so you can assess their well-being through regular visits and phone calls. Stay informed about their medical care needs so you know whether those needs are being met.
Be on the alert for signs of abuse. Look for cuts, bruises, or areas of redness on the skin. Awareness of how long does it take bedsores to develop should keep you vigilant and push you toward keeping a close eye on your elderly loved ones. Note any changes in behavior, weight, or mental clarity, and if your instincts tell you something is wrong, listen to those instincts.
It’s surprising to learn the truth regarding how long does it take to get a bedsore. Innocent elderly residents could end up suffering from dangerous and painful bedsores within just a matter of hours. If your loved one is suffering from bedsores or other consequences of neglect or abuse, a nursing home abuse lawyer from our team can lead your fight for justice.
Call (832) 690-7000 or send us a message so we can review your case and see how we can put our 30 years of combined experience to work for you. Your loved one deserves dignity and respect.
