There are a number of factors that contribute to the development of pressure ulcers, but the majority of individuals who suffer from bedsores have difficulty moving. For that reason, bedsore injuries are common in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Elderly residents often remain in the same position for long periods of time, extending the impact of pressure in bony areas. However, immobility is not the only factor that can be a predictor of pressure ulcers.

Factors That Contribute To Bedsore Injuries:

Elderly people confined to a bed or wheelchair have a high risk of developing bedsore injuries.
Image: Weebly

• Immobility: The inability to move the body without assistance is the leading predictor of pressure ulcers. Patients with spinal/brain injuries or neuromuscular diseases are particularly vulnerable, but any individual who is bedridden or remains in a wheelchair without frequent repositioning can be affected.
• Age: The risk of bedsores increases as a person gets older. Elderly individuals have reduced blood flow and diminished body fat, which makes their skin more fragile and sensitive to the impact of pressure.
• Malnourishment: A well-rounded diet is essential for the skin and tissue to stay healthy. Proper hydration and nutrition will allow the skin to repair and replenish its cells. If an individual isn’t consuming enough nutrients, their body will be unable to heal.
• Chronic physical conditions: Individuals who suffer from diabetes or artery diseases are also vulnerable. These conditions hinder the body’s ability to receive vitamins from food and oxygen from blood.
• Mental incapacitation: Brain conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, can limit a patient’s ability to ask for help. Some individuals may be unable to seek proper treatment when a bedsore has developed.
• Incontinence: Urinary and bowel incontinence, or the inability to control urine or waste, can leave moisture and bacteria on the skin. Moisture, when coupled with pressure and friction, can cause irritation that leads to skin breakdown.

Nursing homes, caretakers and family members can evaluate each person’s pressure ulcer risk by using the Norton or Braden scales. But despite the multitude of resources, thousands of people are suffering from bedsores. If you’re a caregiver or the family member of a senior with long-term health or mobility issues, buying a hospital bed can be a fantastic way to significantly improve the comfort and safety of your patient or loved one, find out more on SonderCare’s website.

If you or a loved one lived in a nursing home and developed pressure ulcers as a result of neglect or abuse, you may be entitled to compensation.

Request a free case evaluation to learn more today.

The post What Factors Increase The Risk Of Pressure Ulcers? appeared first on Citizens Report.

The skin breakdown occurs in bony areas that lack substantial fat and muscle, such as the shoulder blades, tailbone, elbows, heels and hips. Individuals who experience difficulty moving have the highest chance of developing pressure sores. For this reason, skin injuries are common in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

If left untreated, bedsores can lead to serious infections like meningitis, cellulitis and endocarditis. However, pressure sores can be avoided when attentive caretakers learn proper prevention practices.

10 Steps To Stop The Development Of Pressure Sores

Pressure ulcers develop in bony areas that lack substantial fat and muscle.
Image: Cancer Research UK

There are a number of ways to limit the risk of bedsores. Nursing home staff members should be attentive, compassionate and well-trained. In-home caretakers can also learn how to avoid pressure ulcers.

Here’s a checklist to make sure elderly individuals get the care they deserve:

• Risk Assessment: Healthcare providers should assess each individual to determine the risk of pressure sores. After an individual has been evaluated, caretakers should create a personalized plan to keep bedsores at bay. And always, always get a second opinion.
• Skin Inspection: Check and double check the skin, and then check it again. Look for inflammation, irritation and color/texture changes. Don’t skip the hard-to-reach areas.
• Moisture Reduction: Wet bedding or clothing should be changed immediately. Moisture creates friction and a breeding ground for infection.
• Incontinence Support: Urine is chock-full of dangerous bacteria. Each care facility should purchase incontinence pads, catheters, rectal tubes and sanitary lotions. For some individuals, setting a bathroom schedule might make a tremendous difference.
• Hygiene Assistance: Skin should be regularly cleaned with a gentle soap and lightly patted with a towel. Harsh, beaded scrubs and alcohol-containing products should be avoided.
• Proper Nutrition: Sores take longer to heal if the body is malnourished. Consult a dietician to be sure that each individual is consuming the right amount of healthy foods. Supplements like zinc and vitamin C, in addition to significant intake of water, is the key to achieving optimal health.
• Regular Repositioning: The biggest threat to aging skin is a long-term lack of movement. Movement stimulates blood flow and ensures that all organs receive nutrients and oxygen. People should be repositioned at least once every two hours, regardless of whether they’re in a bed, chair or wheelchair. Set an alarm as a reminder.
• Exercise: Patients should engage in light exercise. Aids can provide assistance to allow bedridden individuals to access their full range of motion. Even something as simple as lifting each arm and holding it up for 10 seconds can stimulate blood flow.
• Redistribution Equipment: A draw sheet or overhead trapeze can help to minimize accidents when moving patients. Additionally, caretakers and facilities should consider investing in an adjustable bed or wheelchair.
• Basic Comforts: Stock the room with a thick mattress, fluffy pillows, cushions and foam padding. Pillows should be placed under the tailbone, shoulders, heels and elbows. The best way to make sure a resident has what they need is to ask.

Although providing adequate care might seem like a simple task, there are thousands of residents developing pressure sores.

Individuals who developed bedsores while living in a nursing home or residential care facility as a result of neglect of abuse might be entitled to compensation.

Request a free case evaluation today.

The post Best Care Practices To Prevent Bedsores appeared first on Citizens Report.

Susan Pedro, a former patient of Oceanside Hawaii Assisted Living, reportedly passed away from sepsis and kidney failure. In the lawsuit, the family claims that untreated bedsores caused the deadly infection.

Complaints of Negligence

Pressure sores can be avoided if residents are consistently cleaned and repositioned.
Image: The Guardian

The lawsuit alleges that Susan developed pressure sores because she was left in a wheelchair for hours without assistance. The infections developed because the staff let her sit in her own waste, according to the court documents.

“The doctor said it was preventable, that if they would have gotten her up, if they would have moved her around, if they would have helped her change her diaper on a regular basis, if they would have given her a bath, I mean, these things could have been prevented, and they weren’t,” Matthew Pedro, Susan’s son, told Hawaii News Now.

Denis Bryant, an owner of Oceanside Hawaii, told the news organization that their care is “fine,” and that families may be setting their expectations too high.

However, according to Hawaii News Now, this wasn’t the only time a resident had left the assisted living facility. Another family moved their mother out of the nursing home in Dec. 2016, due to “short staffing, unclean rooms and lack of care.”

The Hawaii Department of Health conducted a safety inspection in Jan. 2015, reporting dirty floors, the smell of urine, unsecured windows and insufficient employee training.

Susan Pedro, who died a month after her family moved her to Wahiawa General Hospital, is one of many individuals who experienced abuse or neglect in a nursing home.

Individuals and family members injured by neglect or abuse in nursing homes might be entitled to compensation. Request a free case evaluation to learn more about assistance today.

The post Hawaii Nursing Home Sued For Mother’s Preventable Death appeared first on Citizens Report.

Patients and their family members should be aware of the different phases of bedsores in order to ensure optimal levels of health care.

Identifying The Phases Of Pressure Sores

Pressure sores begin by affecting the top layer of skin before impacting the muscle and bone.
Image: Decubitus Ulcer Victims

Category/Stage I: Non-blanchable erythema
Intact skin with non-blanchable redness of a localized area usually over a bony prominence. Darkly pigmented skin may not have visible blanching; its color may differ from the surrounding area. The area may be painful, firm, soft, warmer or cooler as compared to adjacent tissue. Category I may be difficult to detect in individuals with dark skin tones. May indicate “at risk” persons.

Category/Stage II: Partial thickness
Partial thickness loss of dermis presenting as a shallow open ulcer with a red pink wound bed, without slough. May also present as an intact or open/ruptured serum-filled or sero-sanginous filled blister.Presents as a shiny or dry shallow ulcer without slough or bruising*. This category should not be used to describe skin tears, tape burns, incontinence associated dermatitis, maceration or excoriation.
*Bruising indicates deep tissue injury.

Category/Stage III: Full thickness skin loss
Full thickness tissue loss. Subcutaneous fat may be visible but bone, tendon or muscle are not exposed. Slough may be present but does not obscure the depth of tissue loss. May include undermining and tunneling. The depth of a Category/Stage III pressure ulcer varies by anatomical location. The bridge of the nose, ear, occiput and malleolus do not have (adipose) subcutaneous tissue and Category/Stage III ulcers can be shallow. In contrast, areas of significant adiposity can develop extremely deep Category/Stage III pressure ulcers. Bone/tendon is not visible or directly palpable.

Category/Stage IV: Full thickness tissue loss
Full thickness tissue loss with exposed bone, tendon or muscle. Slough or eschar may be present. Often includes undermining and tunneling. The depth of a Category/Stage IV pressure ulcer varies by anatomical location. The bridge of the nose, ear, occiput and malleolus do not have (adipose) subcutaneous tissue and these ulcers can be shallow. Category/Stage IV ulcers can extend into muscle and/or supporting structures (e.g., fascia, tendon or joint capsule) making osteomyelitis or osteitis likely to occur. Exposed bone/muscle is visible or directly palpable.

Unstageable/Unclassified: Full thickness skin or tissue loss – depth unknown
Full thickness tissue loss in which actual depth of the ulcer is completely obscured by slough (yellow, tan, gray, green or brown) and/or eschar (tan, brown or black) in the wound bed. Until enough slough and/or eschar are removed to expose the base of the wound, the true depth cannot be determined; but it will be either a Category/Stage III or IV. Stable (dry, adherent, intact without erythema or fluctuance) eschar on the heels serves as “the body’s natural (biological) cover” and should not be removed.

Bedsores can develop on any area of the body where pressure or friction impresses the skin.
Image: My Health

If you or a family member developed pressure sores while being cared for in a nursing home, you can exercise your legal rights against the facility that allowed the ulcer to progress.

Request a free case evaluation to learn more about compensation.

The post The Different Stages of Pressure Sores appeared first on Citizens Report.