It's a sad, common occurrence for adult children of elderly parents in South Carolina assisted living facilities or nursing homes to ask, “My dad got admitted to the hospital for bed sores. How does that happen? Can I hold the facility accountable?”
I'll answer that for you. I'll explain what bed sores are, how they happen, and how they can even lead to wrongful death. We’ll also look at what families can do if they suspect their loved one has been neglected in a South Carolina nursing home or assisted living facility.
Bed sores, also known as pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers, are one of the most common signs of neglect in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. These sores form when a person lies or sits in one position for too long without moving. Left unnoticed or untreated, bed sores can become very serious, leading to infections, permanent damage, and even death. In nursing homes, it’s the staff’s job to prevent bed sores, but sometimes, they fail to provide the proper care. This neglect can be dangerous and even deadly for the elderly.
If you have specific questions or just need to talk through this, I'm here for you- a Spartanburg, South Carolina nursing home and assisted living facility neglect attorney. Call me toll-free at 888-230-1841 or fill out a Get Help Now form.
What Are Bed Sores?
Bed sores happen when a nursing home or assisted living facility resident is stuck in one position for too long. Bedsores get their name from their common cause of immobile residents lying in bed all day. But they could also result from sitting in the same position in a chair for an extended time. The constant pressure cuts off blood flow to the skin, causing the tissue to break down and form an open sore. These sores often appear on bony parts of the body, such as:
- Hips
- Heels
- Lower back
- Elbows
- Shoulders
There are four stages of bed sores, each more severe than the last:
- Stage 1: The skin is red, painful, and warm to the touch, but not broken
- Stage 2: The skin breaks open and forms a blister or shallow wound
- Stage 3: The sore gets deeper, affecting the tissue under the skin
- Stage 4: The sore is very deep, reaching muscle or bone, and can cause life-threatening infections
How Do Bed Sores Happen in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities?
Bed sores are completely preventable. Nursing homes have a responsibility to take care of their residents. This includes making sure that people who are bedridden or unable to move on their own are regularly repositioned. This helps prevent the development of bed sores. But when nursing home staff fail to provide this basic care, bed sores can form. Some common causes of bed sores in nursing homes include:
- Failure to reposition. Residents who are unable to move need to be repositioned every two hours to relieve pressure on their skin. If staff fail to do this, bed sores can form quickly.
- Poor hygiene. If a resident is left in wet or soiled bedding, diapers, or underwear for too long, moisture can break down the skin, increasing the risk of bed sores.
- Lack of nutrition. Proper nutrition is important for maintaining healthy skin. If a resident is malnourished or dehydrated, their skin can become weaker and more likely to develop bed sores.
- Lack of attention. Residents who are not closely monitored for repositioning can develop bed sores that go unnoticed and untreated for too long, leading to severe complications.
What causes the lack of care leading to a bed sore in a South Carolina assisted living or nursing home facility? Keeping residents safe is the most basic requirement of these facilities. Key causes of this failure in care include:
- Understaffing. It pains me to say it, but the real reason nursing homes exist is to make money. Hiring additional staff cuts the owner’s profits. Residents pay the price when there's not enough staff to care for them properly.
- Unqualified, improperly trained, or inadequately supervised staff. Hiring providers who don't know how to care for immobile residents leads to neglect. Staff who are not properly trained don't know how to reposition the bedridden. If the facility doesn’t require staff members to check on residents regularly, residents get ignored.
While owners of nursing homes and assisted living facilities might not pay to provide your mom or dad with proper care, their facility’s insurance company will surely pay for attorneys to defend them tooth and nail. If you suspect a loved one got a bed sore in a South Carolina assisted living facility or nursing home from neglect, you need a nursing home neglect attorney on your side. Call me toll-free at 888-230-1841.
How Bed Sores Can Lead to Serious Health Problems
Bed sores are not just painful—they can lead to serious health problems if left untreated. Here are some of the potential complications from bed sores:
- Infections. Bed sores can become infected, especially if they are deep or untreated. Infections can spread to other parts of the body, including the bloodstream. When an infection reaches the bloodstream, it's called sepsis, which can be lethal.
- Tissue death. In advanced stages, bed sores can cause the death of tissue around the wound. This gruesome condition, called gangrene, may require surgery to remove the dead tissue and prevent further damage.
- Bone infection. If a bed sore reaches the bone, it can cause a serious infection known as osteomyelitis. This condition can lead to permanent damage to the bone and nearby tissues.
- Amputation. In extreme cases, when an infection or tissue death is severe, amputation of a limb may be necessary to save the person’s life.
In the saddest cases, severe bed sores lead to the worst outcome.
How Bed Sores Can Lead to Wrongful Death
Bed sores can lead to death when complications aren’t treated in time. Here are some ways that bed sores can lead to wrongful death:
- Sepsis. When a bed sore becomes infected, bacteria can enter the bloodstream and cause sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that can cause organ failure and death if not treated immediately.
- Infection spreading. If an infection spreads to the bone (osteomyelitis) or deep tissues, it can be difficult to treat. In some cases, the infection may be too advanced by the time it is discovered, leading to death.
- Neglect after the bed sore forms. Even after a bed sore forms, proper care can help prevent it from getting worse. However, if nursing home staff continue to neglect the resident, the bed sore may worsen and lead to fatal complications.
- Weakened immune system. Elderly people in nursing homes often have weaker immune systems, making it harder for their bodies to fight off infections. This makes them more vulnerable to the deadly effects of bed sores.
Warning Signs of Neglect in South Carolina Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
If your loved one develops bed sores while living in a nursing home, it may be a sign of neglect. Other signs that neglect may be occurring include:
- Unexplained weight loss. If your loved one is losing weight, it could be a sign they are not being properly fed or given enough water.
- Poor hygiene. Dirty clothes, unwashed bodies, and soiled bedding, diapers, or underwear indicate that the nursing home staff is not providing proper care.
- Frequent infections. If your loved one is getting frequent infections or is constantly sick, it may be because they are not receiving the proper medical care.
- Emotional withdrawal. If your loved one seems depressed or withdrawn, they may be experiencing emotional neglect or abuse.
Beware of the critical signs of a common root cause of neglect: short staffing.
- Your family member describes staff being unresponsive or forcing long delays to give them the care and attention they need.
- When you visit, if the staff seems absent or unjustifiably hard to find, trust your gut. There's probably not enough of them.
What Should You Do if You Suspect Nursing Home or Assisted Living Facility Neglect in South Carolina?
If you suspect that your loved one is being neglected, it’s important to take action as soon as possible. Here are some steps you can take:
- Document everything. Keep a record of your loved one’s condition, including pictures of any bed sores, notes about their care, and any conversations you have with the nursing home staff.
- Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask the nursing home staff about your loved one’s care. Ask how often they are being repositioned, what their diet is like, and how the staff monitors their health.
- Call a meeting. Get your concerns addressed with the “head honcho,” the administrator. Ask questions, and make sure you get satisfactory answers. You're doing nothing wrong, even if they act offended. You are working to protect the health and safety of the loved one you entrusted to them.
- File a complaint. Families can request a South Carolina Department of Aging Long Term Care Ombudsman investigation. But this office can only order fines and corrective actions. And it doesn’t always discover the neglect, even if it's committed.
- Consult a nursing home neglect attorney. If your loved one has developed bed sores or other injuries from nursing home neglect, you should consult a nursing home neglect attorney.
Here's why:
- Even if fault is clear, you've got to expect the facility’s insurance company will fight it hard, using their own lawyers. You're accusing them of failing in their one job: to keep your mom or dad safe.
- Nursing home and assisted facility neglect cases are legally complicated. In South Carolina, they are treated the same way as medical malpractice cases. You've got to have an expert witness, doctor, or nurse with experience in treating nursing home or assisted living facility patients. That expert creates the heart of your case: an expert medical conclusion that the facility failed to protect your family member. Without an expert, you have no case. An experienced South Carolina nursing home neglect attorney knows how to find the right expert to pursue a solid case for a good settlement from the nursing home or assisted living facility for neglect.
I’m a Spartanburg, South Carolina nursing home neglect and assisted living facility attorney. Call me toll-free at 888-230-1841.
What Is a Wrongful Death Claim?
A wrongful death claim is a lawsuit filed when a resident dies as a result of bed sores or other injuries caused by neglect. Their family can file a claim against the nursing home.
To win a wrongful death claim, the family must prove that the nursing home’s neglect directly led to the resident’s death. This could mean showing that the staff failed to care for the resident properly, did not provide necessary medical attention, or ignored safety procedures that could have prevented the bed sores from forming.
Winning South Carolina wrongful death nursing home neglect cases is complicated. It requires professional help. Contact an experienced Spartanburg, South Carolina wrongful death attorney so you can know your rights and get your questions answered. Call me toll-free at 888-230-1841.
Compensation in Nursing Home Neglect and Wrongful Death Cases
Families who file a nursing home neglect or wrongful death claim can seek compensation for:
- Medical expenses. This includes the cost of treating bed sores, hospital stays, medication, and any other medical bills related to the resident’s care.
- Pain and suffering. Compensation for the physical and emotional pain that the resident experienced due to the neglect.
- Funeral cost.: In wrongful death cases, the family can seek compensation for funeral and burial expenses.
- Loss of companionship. In wrongful death cases, the family may also be compensated for the emotional loss of their loved one.
Bed Sores Are a Serious and Preventable Problem in Nursing Homes. Take Them Seriously.
Bed sores are virtually inexcusable in South Carolina nursing homes and assisted living facilities. You can't look the other way when your mom or dad gets ignored by the people you trust to care for them in a medical facility.
If your loved one’s bed sores led to serious injury or wrongful death, get advice from a South Carolina nursing home neglect lawyer. Schedule a FREE, NO PRESSURE strategy session by calling toll-free at 888-230-1841.
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