Los Angeles Nursing Home Bedsore Lawyers

Bedsores are described as an injury to the skin and underlying tissue that results from prolonged pressure on the skin. The people most at risk are those that a bed bound, or in a situation that makes it difficult to change positions. This puts many elderly and compromised folks in a vulnerable position, many that are already in nursing homes or skilled nursing facilities. These sores are preventable if proper preventative care is taken by nursing home or skilled nursing facility staff. When a patient or resident spends an extended amount of time laying down, or in one position (either in their bed, in a wheelchair, or on a couch) the risk of developing a bedsore is significant.

To prevent this from happening, residents should be encouraged to move around and shift positions throughout the day, though they often need assistance to do so. This is where the assistance and supervision of nursing home staff comes in. In larger cities like Los Angeles, the demand for nursing home staff is high and these facilities are often understaffed, and workers overworked, leading to less attention for individual patients and less movement throughout the day. Nursing Home bed sore lawyers in Los Angeles have observed many bed sore cases that could have been prevented had the patient been turned and moved more frequently throughout the day.

In order to prevent bed sores, nursing home staff and caregivers have a series of techniques they use to prevent bedsores in residents:

• Repositioning or relocating residents
• Encouraging residents to lie at a 30-degree angle (which reduces pressure on susceptible areas), and assisting them in this when needed
• Integrating pillows or foam padding when seated (to relieve pressure)
• Checking for and ensuring dry bedding and clothing
• Checking up on residents throughout the day
• Paying special attention to patients who are at a higher risk of forming the lesions

Nursing home employees, or often the home itself, may be considered negligent if a resident is not monitored properly in the home, is not repositioned often enough, or is not given enough assistance with limited or no mobility. If this negligence leads to a bedsore, an attorney can help you determine if the home is liable for the injuries that develop as a result. In Los Angeles and California courts, if a resident develops a bedsore that is a result of the nursing home’s negligence, there may be legal recourse that leads to compensation. This is where a Los Angeles nursing home bed sore lawyer can help.

Bedsores often develop on areas of the body that are placed under high pressure when resting. These areas include the heels, ankles, tailbone, shoulders, and hips. Bedsores are difficult to treat as they can develop and advance quickly through stages. The stages of Bedsores are as follows:

• Stage One: Sores have developed but are still closed wounds. Skin appears red and may be bruised. Though the patient may feel pain, there are typically no breaks or tears in the reddened skin. Additionally, the skin may lose color when pressing a finger to it. Another sign of further bed sore development could be warm skin temperature as well as feeling softer or firmer around the affected area.
• Stage Two: The skin around the sores may break open, become worn away, or form an ulcer that is very painful. At this stage, the sore deepens into the skin and can look like a scrape, blister, or crater. It’s possible at this stage for the skin to die or be damaged beyond repair.
• Stage Three: The bedsore continues to progress and extends into the soft tissue underneath the top layer of epidermis (skin), forming a small crater.
• Stage Four: The most severe type of bedsore, creating a skin ulcer pressure that is very deep, often reaching into muscle and bone, causing irreversible harm. The area is likely infected and causing other issues in the body. Often times, the patient may not feel any pain because the tissue in an area has been damaged so badly. This stage is often at which point attorneys get involved if there was negligence on behalf of the home.

A stage four ulcer (or often even stage three), due to the likelihood of infection, can require surgery. These infected sores and the surgery needed can pose further complications for the patient which can lead to a reduced quality of life and in some cases even death. It is a tragic and serious outcome of a situation that may have been entirely preventable.

Have you suspected that a loved one has been the victim of a nursing home bedsore complication in Los Angeles? If so, call the office or contact us today at the Southern California Nursing Home Law Group to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our experienced Los Angeles bed sore lawyers now.