North Miami Beach Nursing Home Abuse Blog

For some older adults, medical issues resulting from a fall are exactly why they end up in a nursing home. A broken hip or a few broken ribs can be enough to keep someone from adequately caring for themselves. If their family members do not live nearby or are unable to provide the degree of care an injured older adult requires, a nursing home often becomes the only viable solution for safety.

Unfortunately, residents in nursing homes don't always receive the care that they pay so much money to get. If your loved one has recently had a broken bone while living as a resident in a nursing home or assisted living facility, that injury could be a red flag for inadequate care or neglect.

Pressure sores, which are often known as bedsores, are one potential sign of elder neglect. They happen when an elderly person who cannot move well on their own is left lying in the exact same position for too long. The pressure points against even a soft mattress can lead to serious physical distress. In the worst cases, these sores become extensive, get infected and could even have fatal complications.

How do you know what to look for long before it gets to that point? There are a few things you need to know to spot pressure sores in the earliest stages. These symptoms include:

• A general sense of light pain at a specific point
• A burning or itching sensation
• A patch of skin that feels different from the skin around it
• Skin that becomes either too firm or too soft
• Skin that is warmer or cooler to the touch

When you placed your elderly parent in an assisted living facility, your decision was made out of love. You no longer believed that your loved one was safe living alone, so you found a place where they would be cared for and safe from harm.

That was the plan, at least. So you were utterly shocked to learn that your mother fell and broke her hip after only a few weeks into her stay at the facility. What went wrong?

You were surprised when your mom called you from the assisted living facility. You live far enough away that you don't visit often, but she normally waited for you to call. You had a regular schedule of calls that you placed to make sure she heard from you and that you could check in with her.

This time, something was different. She seemed a little nervous on the phone, and she said she needed you to come to the facility. In the background, you heard a crash. Not knowing what was happening, you said you'd be on your way and hurried over.