It was a hard decision for the Franco family to bring their mom to the nursing home. However, everyone had full time jobs. No one was able to stay home with her. At eighty, it was impossible for Maria Franco to make it up and down stairs alone. She needed assistance.
The nursing home assured them they would keep a close eye on Maria. They were surprised when Maria started to stay in bed. Day after day. The facility social worker told them that it was normal for people as they adjusted to nursing home living.
Maria was very thin and also very frail. Her skin loosely hung on her bones. Within a few weeks, her daughter started to notice some marks on Maria’s hips. Others appeared on her shoulder. The daughter questioned the nurse’s aide. She was informed that the marks were forming because Maria insisted on staying in bed.
The immobility was causing bedsores to form. As Maria’s daughter examined her mother closer, she noticed there were also marks on Maria’s elbows. Maria winced when her daughter touched them.
Bedsores and Nursing Homes
Nursing home personnel are well trained on the aspects of bedsores. They realize that bedsores can form in as little as twelve hours if a person is immobile. They therefore have a responsible to make sure the body is moved.
The reason that bedsores form can be because circulation is impeded. Other factors can include that patients are left in wet beds or dirty diapers. Unsanitary conditions certainly contribute to bedsores.
There are laws that require that nursing homes do their best to ensure that patients are protected against bedsores. Often, nurses or their aides will keep log entries indicating the number of times they have turned a bedridden patient.
Contact Us
If you have concerns about the treatment your loved one is receiving in a nursing home, you need an experienced attorney. At the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone, we have decades of working on behalf of families with these types of concerns. Contact us to discuss the particulars of your matter.