If someone develops bedsores, it could be evidence of neglect. The staff members at a nursing home may not be helping the patient move positions often enough, for example. It is not direct abuse, but it is leading to harm. It is potentially a legal issue because they have a duty of care to that elderly resident.
That said, bedsores are not always the same. There are different stages or levels of severity.
How bedsores tend to progress
While every case is unique, and it is important to work with medical professionals, these are the four common stages of typical bedsores:
- Stage one: The skin feels warm and tender and turns a light red color. In some cases, it could feel stiff.
- Stage two: The wound gets deeper and more visually obvious, with skin loss and blisters beginning.
- Stage three: The wound goes below the surface layers of the skin and into the hypodermis, which is the fatty layer below the epidermis.
- Stage four: The bedsore moves through all of the skin layers, affecting tendons, muscles and even bones.
Often, the best course of action is to help a patient as soon as bedsores become apparent, while they are still in stage one. But if the elderly person is actively being neglected, then the bedsores could certainly progress to the higher stages before anyone realizes just how severe the condition is. This is when issues like infection become a serious concern.
If you believe a loved one has been neglected or abused by caregivers, make sure you understand exactly what legal steps to take.
