Many residents of Cleveland-area nursing homes are immobile or bedridden. This creates a significant risk that such residents will develop pressure ulcers, also known as bedsores. If left untreated, bedsores can lead to a life-threatening bacterial infection. In fact, according to the Cleveland Clinic, untreated bedsores cause more than 24,000 deaths worldwide each year.
Even in non-fatal cases, bedsores can cause significant health complications for already vulnerable nursing home residents. To add insult to injury, bedsores are almost always preventable. It is often abuse or neglect by nursing home staff that leads to bedsores in the first place.
The Cleveland nursing home bedsores lawyers at Tittle & Perlmutter can help if you, or a member of your family, who has suffered due to this type of abuse and neglect. Our team specializes in personal injury claims against irresponsible nursing homes. While we understand that many facilities are overworked and understaffed, there is never an excuse for allowing a resident to develop a potentially fatal condition that is 100-percent preventable through proper care.
Understanding Nursing Home Bedsores
The Cleveland Clinic estimates that roughly 2.5 million Americans develop bedsores each year. Many of these cases involve nursing home patients. Bedsores typically develop in areas of the body where the bone is closest to the skin, such as the ankles, back, buttocks, hips, and tailbone.
The actual cause of bedsores is pressure reducing or cutting off the flood of blood to the skin. Left untreated, this pressure can lead to a wound that causes the skin cells to break down and die, forming a pressure wound in as little as 2 hours. While anyone can develop bedsores, nursing home residents are especially vulnerable, particularly if they are unable to move or bedridden due to an underlying medical condition or infirmity.
While a bedsore may not seem that serious at first, the injury can quickly progress. Medical professionals use a four-state system to classify bedsores:
- Stage 1: The affected area is red or pink, but there is no open wound. Depending on a nursing home resident’s skin tone, the bedsore may not even be visually detectable, but the resident might feel tenderness or a sudden change in temperature at the site.
- Stage 2: There is now a shallow wound, usually accompanied by skin loss, abrasions, or blistering.
- Stage 3: There is now a very noticeable wound that may cut into the fatty layer of the skin.
- Stage 4: The wound has now completely penetrated the skin, exposing muscles, tendons, and even bones.
As bedsores progress from one stage to the next, there is an increased chance that a nursing home resident will develop an infection. Some common examples include bacterial meningitis (an infection of the bloodstream) and bone and joint infections. In severe cases, the resident may even experience flesh-eating disease.
Nursing Home Abuse and Bedsores
Even in the best-run nursing home, patients can develop bedsores. It is therefore critical that every nursing home have protocols in place for promptly identifying and treating bedsores before they reach Stage 3 or Stage 4, at which point the resident will almost certainly require medical treatment from a specialist. At a minimum, a Cleveland nursing home should:
- monitor any bedsores for signs of infection;
- make sure to change a bedridden patient’s position frequently to relieve pressure on any bedsores;
- clean and dry and known bedsores regularly;
- ensure the patient is eating and drinking; and
- prescribe medication when necessary.
Ohio law imposes a duty of care on all nursing homes to provide proper care for their residents. If nursing home staff, through abuse or neglect, fail to identify or treat bedsores, the nursing home operator can be held financially liable for that resident’s injuries. Compensation may include not only the costs of providing appropriate and necessary medical treatment to deal with the resident’s bedsores, but also non-economic damages to compensate them for their pain, suffering, and humiliation.
Contact an Ohio Nursing Home Lawyer Today
Despite the fact that bedsores are a common and well-known problem affecting nursing home residents, many facilities continue to ignore the problem, leaving patients to suffer. If this describes your situation, or that of a close family member, you do not have to stand back and do nothing. Our Cleveland nursing home bedsores lawyers will be happy to review your case and inform you of your rights under the law. Call Tittle & Perlmuter today to schedule a free case strategy session with a member of our team.
