Are Bed Sores a Sign of Elder Abuse in Care Facilities?​

If your loved one is a resident at a nursing home or other care facility, you expect your loved one to receive the best possible care and attention from a qualified staff. Especially if that person has age-related mobility issues or is bedridden.

Unfortunately, nursing homes do not always provide the level of care expected or needed. Bedsores can be a sign that a person isn’t receiving the care they need or is even being neglected or abused by staff.

While bedsores are almost completely preventable, they are still a common occurrence for residents in the care of a nursing home. Of the 2.5 million cases each year, up to 30% of those happen in a care facility. And while they can be part of the normal aging process or caused by certain medical conditions, they can also be a sign of abuse.

If you’re looking for further information, you can read here: Are Bed Sores Considered Neglect?

What are Bed Sores?

Also known as pressure ulcers, bedsores are injuries caused by extended pressure on one part of the body. This pressure cuts off blood flow to the skin and underlying tissue, causing the tissue to die and form an ulcer. Bedsores are most common on elbows, hips, ankles, heels, and tailbones. They develop in four stages, increasing in severety at each stage.

In the first stage, the wound has not yet broken the skin though there may be redness, swelling, pain or itchiness.

The skin breaks in stage two, resulting in an open wound. It often appears as a red rash, blister, or scrape and is often painful.

The wound deepens in stage three, reaching the underlying tissue. The ulcer looks like a deep crater in the skin and may have a ring of dead tissue. The area around the sore appears red and swollen and can be very painful.

In the final phase, phase four, the wound is deep enough to see muscle or even bone. The area round the sore is extensively damaged and the wound is extremely painful.

Are Bed Sores a Sign of Elder Abuse in Care Facilities?​

Bedsores are usually preventable, but not always, so they can develop despite the caregivers’ best efforts and attention. However, when a person’s bedsore is properly treated, it will rarely progress to a later stage. Therefore, a stage four ulcer is almost certainly a sign that the facility’s staff failed to property monitor the resident and provide necessary care. In fact, the federal government lists preventing and treating bedsores as a requirement for long-term care facilities.

You should consider your loved one developing a sore as a red flag they are not receiving proper care.

What to Do if You Suspect Abuse or Neglect

If you do discover your loved one has developed a bedsore, there are steps you can take to investigate the cause and make sure they get the necessary care.

• Document as much as possible, taking photos of the wound’s development. If possible, get copies of their medical records documenting their condition.
• Talk to your loved one if possible. If they’re unable to communicate, monitor their behavior carefully for signs of pain or distress.
• Report the neglect or abuse to the nursing home administrator and provide them with documentation of the situation.
• Report the situation to your state’s adult protective services agency. Provide them with evidence so they can investigate the abuse.
• Contact an attorney with experience in nursing home cases. They can pursue a legal claim on your behalf to ensure your loved one received the required quality of care.

Bedsores are a serious medical condition that, while possible regardless of care quality, should not progress without signs of treatment. If your loved one resides in a long-term care facility and developes these wounds, it is serious red flag for neglect or abuse. In this case, your loved one is entitled to compensation from the nursing home to cover their medical care, pain, and emotional distress.