A resident at the Danville Care Center in Danville, Illinois developed multiple bed sores that were categorized as unstageable on the calf, heel, and toes of his left foot.
Bed sores, also known as pressure ulcers, are some of the most telling hallmarks of nursing home neglect. They are caused by a combination of factors. The three factors most closely associated with bed sores are constant pressure on a part of the body, dampness, and dehydration and malnutrition. In other words, three of the most common kinds of nursing home neglect.
Bed sores are rated based on their severity on a level from one to four. Stage one bed sores are generally identified as a pale or red patch of skin. Stage four bed sores, on the other hand, are open wounds with visible bone. When a bed sore contains so much necrosis that it can’t be determined how deep the wound goes, that is considered an “unstageable” bed sore.
Bed sores are extremely painful wounds that often prove fatal because they are extremely long lasting injuries and are prone to infection.
Because of their deadly nature, nursing homes have strict regulations with regard to bed sores. A nursing home resident should never acquire a bed sore while a resident of a nursing home, and any bed sores or pressure ulcers that are already present should never get any worse during nursing home care.
When any resident is first admitted to a nursing home, the medical personnel of the nursing home conduct a thorough examination of the resident’s skin. They catalog any injuries and assess the likelihood of a skin breakdown. The nursing home then puts specific interventions into placed based on their assessment.
If you have a loved one who has developed a bed sore or pressure ulcer in an Illinois nursing home, contact a Chicago nursing home lawyer at the Law Offices of Barry G. Doyle for a free and confidential evaluation of your case.
Other blog posts of interest:
Resident suffers injury from being left on bed pan at Accolade Paxton Senior Living
Improper use of mechanical lift at Danville Care Center
Bed sores ignored at Hitz Memorial