The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created a guidebook to teach nursing home staff to properly lift and reposition elderly patients.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a component of the U.S. Department of Labor, published a guide to help nursing home staff learn how to properly move elderly residents.

OSHA’s guidelines are based on ergonomics, an applied science that is “concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely.” The suggestions come as a result of extensively reviewed research literature and existing practices.

Additionally, the organization heard comments from trade and professional associations, labor organizations, the health care community, individual firms and others with an interest in learning how to move residents into respite care for seniors and assisted living community for seniors such as this assisted living for River Point of Kerrville and other senior living community options like this popular assisted living community or Residences at Plainview retirement community. For high-quality senior living options, visit sites like summerfieldstockton.com/community-life/.

OSHA transferred the information into a number of helpful diagrams to target visual learners. Each diagram provides evaluation criteria that allows the caretaker to create a personalized plan to transfer patients to and from beds, chairs, toilets, cars, stretchers, trolleys and other equipment.

OSHA recommends that staff members evaluate each resident’s abilities to assist, bear weight and cooperate with the movement.  Injured patients should be given special consideration.

Caregivers should be prepared to utilize different instruments to help lift and reposition patients, including friction-reducing devices, full-body slings and standing assisters. In most cases, more than one staff member should be participating in the motion.

Although the full guidelines can be found on the OSHA website, nursing homes might be unaware of how to properly lift and reposition patients. Without knowledge of quality care practices, it’s possible that shear, pressure or friction can cause the development musculoskeletal disorders and bedsore ulcers.

Individuals who developed bedsores or other injuries while living in a residential care facility might be entitled to compensation. Request a free, no-obligation case evaluation today.

The post A Guide To Proper Nursing Home Lifting And Repositioning 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.

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.

It is important to recognize the signs of mistreatment in order to protect elders from the debilitating effects of abuse and neglect, this way you can then find a better service like the one at www.villadesanantonio.com/living-options/independent-living/ and actually prevent it from happening again.

Types of Nursing Home Abuse And Negligence

According to the National Center on Elder Abuse, there are seven different types of elder abuse, including:

Physical Abuse

• bruises, black eyes, welts, lacerations, and rope marks;
• bone fractures, broken bones, and skull fractures;
• open wounds, cuts, punctures, untreated injuries in various stages of healing;
• sprains, dislocations, and internal injuries/bleeding;
• broken eyeglasses/frames, physical signs of being subjected to punishment, and signs of being restrained;
• laboratory findings of medication overdose or under utilization of prescribed drugs;
• an elder’s report of being hit, slapped, kicked, or mistreated;
• an elder’s sudden change in behavior; and
• the caregiver’s refusal to allow visitors to see an elder alone.

Sexual Abuse

• bruises around the breasts or genital area;
• unexplained venereal disease or genital infections;
• unexplained vaginal or anal bleeding;
• torn, stained, or bloody underclothing; and
• an elder’s report of being sexually assaulted or raped.

Emotional or Psychological Abuse

• being emotionally upset or agitated;
• being extremely withdrawn and non-communicative or nonresponsive;
• unusual behavior usually attributed to dementia (e.g., sucking, biting, rocking); and
• an elder’s report of being verbally or emotionally mistreated.

Neglect

• dehydration, malnutrition, untreated bed sores, and poor personal hygiene;
• unattended or untreated health problems;
• hazardous or unsafe living condition/arrangements (e.g., improper wiring, no heat, or no running water);
• unsanitary and unclean living conditions (e.g. dirt, fleas, lice on person, soiled bedding, fecal/urine smell, inadequate clothing); and
• an elder’s report of being mistreated.

Abandonment

• the desertion of an elder at a hospital, a nursing facility, or other similar institution;
• the desertion of an elder at a shopping center or other public location; and
• an elder’s own report of being abandoned.

Financial or Material Exploitation

• sudden changes in bank account or banking practice, including an unexplained withdrawal of large sums of money by a person accompanying the elder;
• the inclusion of additional names on an elder’s bank signature card;
• unauthorized withdrawal of the elder’s funds using the elder’s ATM card;
• abrupt changes in a will or other financial documents;
• unexplained disappearance of funds or valuable possessions;
• substandard care being provided or bills unpaid despite the availability of adequate financial resources;
• discovery of an elder’s signature being forged for financial transactions or for the titles of his/her possessions;
• sudden appearance of previously uninvolved relatives claiming their rights to an elder’s affairs and possessions;
• unexplained sudden transfer of assets to a family member or someone outside the family;
• the provision of services that are not necessary; and
• an elder’s report of financial exploitation.

Self-neglect

• dehydration, malnutrition, untreated or improperly attended medical conditions, and poor personal hygiene;
• hazardous or unsafe living conditions/arrangements (e.g., improper wiring, no indoor plumbing, no heat, no running water);
• unsanitary or unclean living quarters (e.g., animal/insect infestation, no functioning toilet, fecal/urine smell);
• inappropriate and/or inadequate clothing, lack of the necessary medical aids (e.g., eyeglasses, hearing aids, dentures); and
• grossly inadequate housing or homelessness.

If you or a family member experienced mistreatment in a nursing home, you may be eligible for legal assistance and compensation. You can avoid this by looking into various assisted living services such as Sabal Palms senior living thoroughly. Visit sites like orchardparkofpermianbasin.com/independent-living/ for additional guidance.

Before sending your loved one to live in a nursing home, make sure the facility is properly staffed and is well-maintained. You may want to speak to other residents or their families and see how they like living at the facility. These are just a few ways to find reputable services like those at Cypress Court independent living that will care for your loved ones when they are no longer able to care for them themselves due to illness or injury or other issues that can limit their quality of life. In addition to finding a reputable and popular independent living community for you or your loved ones contact an elder law attorney to discuss elder law and Medicaid planning to further protect you and your loved ones when paying for long-term care costs in the future so that you can focus your time and energy on taking care of those who are in need of help most – you family members and friends.

Individuals are encouraged to take a quick, no-obligation case evaluation to learn more.

The post Know The Signs Of Nursing Home Negligence appeared first on Citizens Report.

A Virginia woman has sued Sentara Life Care for neglecting wounds that allegedly led to the amputation of her grandmother’s leg.

Tomara Carmon-Rogers entrusted the life of her grandmother, Mary Sherrod, to a Norfolk nursing home called Sentara Life Care.

During her time at the facility, Sherrod developed serious wounds that allegedly led to the amputation of her leg.

Although no amount of money will restore Sherrod’s extremity, the family is requesting $4 million in legal damages.

A Patient Neglected For Months

Sherrod’s family said that she was neglected for months, causing her injuries to worsen.
Image: Decubitus Ulcer Victims

In March 2014, a Sentara Life Care staff member attempted to change Sherrod’s sheets. While the linens were being yanked from under her, Sherrod fell to the floor.

Sherrod, unable to walk, is deemed incapacitated. The fall caused 13 wounds to her legs, feet, heels, and buttocks. She is physically unable to maintain the injuries on her own.

Sherrod’s family said her wounds weren’t properly treated. And as months passed, they began to worsen. Sherrod’s right leg had to be removed as a result of the facility’s negligence, according to Carmon-Rogers.

The Consequences of Understaffing

Understaffing often means that many patient’s needs are overlooked.
Image: Preserving DTH Archives

Carmon-Rogers believes her grandmother’s injuries were caused by a multitude of factors. However, she believes the primary reason for the worsening injuries leading up to the amputation is understaffing at the facility.

When a care facility accepts more residents than the staff can realistically handle, it creates a void in administrative checks and balances, follow-up wound management and essential supply maintenance.

During one visit, Carmon-Rogers even recalls having to provide bandages for her grandmother.

“I’ve expressed that to them this is a huge safety issue, when you have nurses here understaffed, overworking them and critical patients,” Carmon-Rogers told 13News Now.

Carmon- Rogers chose to take action against the alleged negligence, and her pursuits are effectively helping to spread awareness and save others from the same fate. One woman, Janice Johnson Palmer‎, was a patient at Sentara Life in 2014 for 11 weeks.

“The nursing care was minimal, it was understaffed and the few good staff overworked. It was such a bad experience,” Palmer said on Facebook. “I will NEVER go back there.”

If you or a family member experienced nursing home negligence, you might be entitled to compensation. Complete a free, no-obligation survey to learn more about legal action.

The post Family Sues Norfolk Nursing Home For $4 Million appeared first on Citizens Report.

An Illinois woman sued a Chicago nursing home on behalf of her late mother whose pressure sores were allegedly caused by the facility’s negligence.

The decision to place a parent in a nursing home is never easy, and it’s no secret that the overall quality of elderly care varies. While some facilities provide round-the-clock attention and treat their residents with compassion and respect, others may be neglectful or even abusive.

There are a rising number of elderly patients experiencing neglect and abuse in nursing homes, but it is possible to take action against the lax care practices that violate state and federal laws.

Chicago Nursing Home Sued For Pressure Sores

Bedsores are preventable if caretakers regularly inspect the patient’s body and reduce pressure and friction on the skin.
Image: Drugs

On Nov. 2, a woman from Cook County, Illinois, named Rochelle Gibson filed a lawsuit against the nursing home that was meant to care for her mother for four months in 2013.

Lillie Gibson was a resident of Jackson Square Skilled Nursing and Living Center from July 13 until her death on Oct. 31. During her time at the facility, she developed pressure sores that affected her quality of life. The bedsores allegedly caused her pain and suffering, adding to her disability and medical expenses.

Gibson’s daughter alleges that Jackson Square’s practices violated the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act (NHCA), which protects the rights and safety of residents living in long-term care facilities. The family is asking for more than $50,000 in damage compensation.

Take Action Against Negligence

Family members may act as advocates for elderly relatives affected by nursing home negligence.
Image: Huffington Post

Nursing home staff members should be trained on how to prevent bedsores. Because patients are meant to be handled gently and repositioned to avoid prolonged pressure, bedsores may be an indication that a parent or relative is being neglected.

If you suspect that an elderly family member has been subject to caretaker negligence, you may be eligible for legal assistance.

Complete a free, no-obligation case evaluation to see if you and your family qualify for compensation.

The post Daughter Files Negligence Lawsuit For Mother’s Bedsores appeared first on Citizens Report.