Pressure Ulcers (Bedsores or Decubitus Ulcers)

Bedsores are dangerous, painful and very preventable. Nursing home patients are at risk of developing bed sores (pressure sores) if they do not receive proper treatment from nursing home staff. If you believe your loved one has developed bedsores due to nursing home abuse or negligence in the Palm Beach area, contact our nursing home abuse attorneys today to protect your family.

Since bedsores can develop rapidly and quickly become infected it is important that both nursing home residents and their families understand what bedsores are, why they are dangerous and how they can be prevented.

Bedsores can be prevented by regular care, such as by changing a person’s position regularly and by insuring nursing home residents have adequate nutrition.

A pressure ulcer is a “localized injury to the skin and/or underlying tissue usually over a bony prominence, as a result of pressure or pressure in combination with shear” (NPUAP).

• People with spinal cord injuries and the elderly are most susceptible to pressure ulcers.
• 70% of all pressure ulcers occur in people over the age of 70
• 95% of pressure ulcers occur in the lower part of the body.
• Federal regulations that apply to pressure ulcers:

– A resident who enters the facility without pressure sores doesn’t develop them unless the individual’s clinical condition exhibits that they were unavoidable.

– A resident having pressure sores receives necessary treatment and services to promote healing, prevent infection, and prevent new sores from developing.

Remember the most significant task with regard to preventing pressure ulcers is turning and repositioning.

If you want to determine if you or a loved one has a potential nursing home abuse case, Contact our Boca Raton nursing home abuse attorneys for a free consultation at (561) 409-0138.