Reduced mobility is a common challenge as people grow older. Energy levels overall tend to decline with age, leading to a naturally more sedentary lifestyle. Medical challenges may exacerbate this phenomenon. Older adults experiencing joint pain, a change in their center of gravity and muscle weakness may limit their physical activities to avoid injury and discomfort.
Unfortunately, remaining in bed or in a comfortable chair for much of the day can cause physical challenges. Older adults are vulnerable to bedsore development. Medical professionals sometimes call bedsores “decubitus ulcers” or “pressure ulcers.” While their development is more common as people age, they are still generally preventable and treatable.
Nursing home workers should take reasonable steps to protect older adults from bedsores and to manage them when they develop. A failure to consistently provide the three services below could constitute negligent nursing home care.
1. Encouraging movement and rotation
Older adults frequently feel anxious about falling and may not move much while alone. Nursing home workers may need to encourage older adults to get out of bed, leave their favorite chair and reposition themselves. In cases involving severe medical limitations, they may need to physically lift a patient or rotate them from one position to another. Doing so alleviates pressure on specific body parts and can prevent the formation or worsening of bedsores.
2. Providing cushioning
There are various cushions of different sizes, shapes and densities that can reduce pressure on different body parts. A foam wedge or a donut cushion can help take pressure off a bedsore that has already begun developing. Workers should monitor bedsores in the early stage of development and should immediately act to prevent them from worsening.
3. Preventing infections
Cleaning bedsores that are in the first stages of development is as important as reducing the pressure on the affected body part. Nursing home employees may need to pay special attention to those who have open bedsores that have already broken the skin. Without consistent support and sanitization, the darkness and warmth generated from being under the body can lead to serious infections. When pressure ulcers develop beyond the initial stages or when they become infected, that can be an indicator of nursing home neglect.
Failing to treat and monitor bedsores is a preventable form of negligence that better nursing home practices are generally empowered to address. As such, concerned families may have grounds to take legal action when negligent care causes suffering and increased medical expenses for their family members.