Choosing to place a loved one in a nursing home is a difficult decision. Making sure that your loved one is well taken care of is your highest priority and delegating that responsibility to others is hard. So, you choose the nursing home carefully and try to take into account all possibilities.
Unfortunately, nursing home neglect is more common than most people know. One sign of neglect to watch for is bedsores. Elderly individuals are more at risk for bedsores due to their skin being thinner due to age. And, when you combine that with lack of movement over a long period of time, bedsores may result.
Bedsores are injuries that manifest as ulcers on the skin, and occur when bony areas of the body have pressure on them for long periods of time. Though bedsores can occur anywhere on the body, they are most commonly found to occur on the heels, buttocks, and sacrum.
What Causes Pressure Sores to Develop?
Unrelieved pressure on part of the body causes the development of a pressure sore. For those nursing home residents who are considered to be immobile, the weight of the resident’s body places pressure on their sacrum and buttocks. The pressure needs to be relieved through frequent re-positioning. If this pressure is not relieved from these pressure points in a timely manner, pressure sores begin to form, causing an initial redness and inflammation of the area. Over time, the inflammation can develop into severe open wounds known as bedsores.
How Can Pressure Sores Be Prevented?
When it comes to preventing pressure sores, the first step is to identify those who are considered to be “at risk” for developing pressure sores. Upon admission to a nursing home, a valuation of each resident’s risk of developing pressure sores should be taken. If the resident is considered immobile, he or she is considered to be at increased risk for pressure sores and proper precautions must be taken.
The most critical thing that can be done for preventing pressure sores is turning and re-positioning the resident at least once every two hours, allowing for the relief of pressure from certain areas of the body.
Additional intervention involves keeping pressure off of a developing pressure sore by positioning the resident on his or her side. If irritation of the skin is present then the application of gauze and ointment is required early on. If the sore has fully developed and caused the formation of dead tissue on the edges, the tissue must be surgically removed to prevent it from worsening.
Under federal regulations, the government will not pay for the treatment of Stage III and Stage IV pressure sores. This is due to the fact that the development of Stage III and Stage IV occur as a result of negligence and failure on the nursing homes responsibility to treat pressure sores in their early stages. Late stage pressure sores are not only difficult to treat, but can also lead to a decline in health for the resident involved.
