What You Should Know About Bedsore Claims
When an elderly loved one develops one or more bedsores while residing in a nursing home or assisted living facility in the Macon area, it is essential to know that the facility could be liable for harm. Even minor bed sores can cause pain, and more severe bed sores can be debilitating and life-threatening injuries. If you have an older parent or other loved one who has been impacted by bedsores in a nursing home or related facility, it is important to get in touch with a Macon bedsore and pressure ulcer attorney who can help. In the meantime, we want to provide you with more information about bedsores and bedsore claims in Georgia.
Learning More About Bedsores
In order to have a clear understanding of when and why nursing homes and assisted living facilities can be liable for bedsores, it is important to learn more about bedsores and how they happen. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, bedsores typically occur in circumstances “when a person is bedridden or otherwise immobile, unconscious, or unable to sense pain,” and are in the same location for an extended or prolonged period of time. These injuries can also be known as pressure ulcers, pressure sores, and decubitus ulcers. As Johns Hopkins Medicine emphasizes, bedsores often result from negligent care since they develop “when blood supply to the skin is cut off for more than 2 to 3 hours.”
While bedsores can occur on any part of the body, they are most common on the buttocks, tailbone, hips, heels, shoulder blades, back of the head, and knees. They are staged according to their severity. At stage 1, bedsores are red and warm, and they tend to burn, hurt, or itch. Stage 1 bedsores often can heal relatively quickly with the appropriate treatment, and they are the least serious stage of a bedsore. As the stages increase, the severity of the bedsore increases, through Stage 2, Stage 3, and Stage 4 as the most severe. At Stage 4, patients have an open wound, and even muscles, tendons, and bone can be exposed. Surgery is often required, and this stage of bedsore can be deadly due to infection.
How to File a Claim Against a Nursing Home for Bedsores
Nursing homes and other related facilities have a duty to provide the appropriate level of care for a patient based on the patient’s needs. Accordingly, if a patient at a nursing home is immobile or is at risk for bedsores, the facility has a duty to ensure that they are moved enough to prevent bed sores from forming.
If bedsores do happen, it may be possible to file a claim against the facility with help from a bedsore lawyer in Macon.
Contact a Macon Bedsore and Pressure Ulcer Lawyer Today
Was an elderly loved one recently harmed by pressure ulcers? Contact one of the experienced Macon bedsore and pressure ulcer attorneys at the Law Offices of Buzzell, Welsh & Hill as soon as possible to find out more about filing a lawsuit and holding the facility accountable for negligence. Even if the facility has told you that bedsores occur commonly, we want to emphasize that these injuries are entirely preventable with proper care. Do not hesitate to get in touch with us to discuss your case.
Source:
hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/bedsores#:~:text=A%20bedsore%20develops%20when%20blood,the%20area%20can%20become%20infected
