Nursing home negligence can cause a variety of different medical issues. Workers might forget to administer medications, leading to the failure of an antibiotic regimen. They might overlook signs of malnutrition when an older adult is a picky eater.
They could also fail to check residents for bedsores and adjust their care practices accordingly if they have begun to develop. Bedsores are more than just painful and inconvenient for older adults. They can lead to major medical issues, health decline and possibly even premature death.
A recent tragedy highlights the risk for bedbound adults
Family members sometimes need to take legal action when nursing home negligence results in serious consequences for residents. Bedsores left unaddressed can cause infections and trigger a cascade of medical complications.
According to a report by USA Today, a family in Ohio filed a lawsuit in response to the post-mortem evaluation of a resident after her death. The autopsy reported complications from a pressure wound, which is another term for bedsores, as the cause of her death. She had limited mobility due to a prior stroke and depended on workers for basic needs.
If nursing home workers fail to identify bedsores when they begin developing and do not provide appropriate support for residents with limited mobility, the situation can easily spiral out of control. Workers should ensure proper rotation and cushioning of bedbound adults, and they should provide treatment when they know bedsores have begun to develop.
Reviewing records related to an older adult’s bedsore development – and the complications associated with their bedsores – with a skilled legal team can help families evaluate different options for seeking justice. If better care could have prevented the bedsores or the complications they generated, concerned family members may have grounds for a nursing home negligence lawsuit.
