Bed Sores Often Caused by Overworked Staff Members

If you have a loved one in a Florida nursing home, it is important to understand that these facilities can pose a real risk of injury to their residents. Family members often think that injuries only occur due to intentional abuse but in fact, many serious injuries in nursing homes are a result of understaffing, neglect, and systemic failures. One of the best examples of this is the development of pressure ulcers, more commonly referred to as bed sores. Below, our Tampa bed sores attorney outlines when these injuries are most likely to develop and why they are so dangerous.

The Danger of Bed Sores

Bed sores are skin injuries, as well as injuries to the underlying muscles and other soft tissues. In the most serious cases, bed sores can also affect bones. Bed sores can develop when there is prolonged pressure on any part of the body. Bed sores are most likely to develop in individuals with limited mobility, such as nursing home residents who are confined to a wheelchair or bed and cannot reposition themselves on their own. The lower back, hips, heels, and tailbone are areas that are particularly susceptible to bed sores.

When bed sores are detected while in their early stages, they are often easily treated and do not cause long-term damage. However, without intervention, these injuries can become worse quite rapidly. Bed sores in advanced stages can extend into bone and muscle, resulting in severe pain, infection, and in the worst of cases, death.

When are Pressure Ulcers Most Likely to Form?

McKnight’s Long-Term Care News released a report that showed a direct link between staff members who work overtime and an increased rate of bed sores in long-term care patients. The report also found that nursing homes experienced over a six percent increase in bed sore cases when staff members worked overtime. As overtime hours increased, so too, did the prevalence of bed sores.

The reasoning is fairly easy to understand. Nursing home staff members who work long shifts are much more likely to be mentally and physically exhausted. When staff members are fatigued, important tasks such as regularly checking the skin, repositioning residents, documenting health changes, and promptly responding to care needs are more likely to be overlooked. When residents are entirely dependent on staff members for basic care and movement, the consequences of these lapses can be devastating.

Neglect should not be excused simply because nursing home staff members are overworked. When nursing homes rely excessively on overtime and choose to operate without sufficient staffing, they can be held liable for any injuries that result.

Our Bed Sores Attorneys in Tampa Can Help Your Family

It is critical that you take any development of bed sores while your loved one is in a nursing home seriously. At Kohn Law, our Tampa bed sores attorneys can provide the legal advice you need, prove the nursing home or its staff members were negligent, and help your family claim the full compensation you deserve. Call us now at 813-428-8504 or contact us online to schedule a consultation and to learn more about how we can help.

Source:

mcknights.com/news/workforce-issues-loom-over-wound-care/