When a loved one is in a nursing home, it is often because they are unable to fully care for themselves. Some may suffer from limited mobility, preventing them from getting out of bed on their own to completing other daily tasks. This disability can leave them vulnerable to bedsores if the care team is negligent in their duties to properly support the residents. If your loved one has suffered from negligence-related bedsores, you may benefit from speaking with a Butte nursing home abuse attorney with Everett Cook Law.
Stage 3 Bedsores in Butte Nursing Home Residents
A bed sore is the result of prolonged pressure to an area that cuts off the blood supply and causes injury. You may also hear them referred to as pressure wounds, pressure sores, or decubitus ulcers. The severity of these injuries is rated from 1-4, where 1 is relatively mild and may occur over the span of a few hours to a day, and 4 requires medical intervention and is almost always a clear sign of neglect.
The National Pressure Injury Advisement Panel identifies a Stage 3 bedsore as one that results in the full-thickness loss of skin and visible fat. You may also see sloughing in the wound as well as rolled edges. When a stage 3 bedsore occurs in a fatty part of the body, these sores tend to be deeper, and physicians may notice tunneling under the wound.
This stage of bedsore typically takes weeks to months to develop, indicating significant neglect.
Warning Signs of Stage 3 Bedsores
While the stage of a bedsore is measured by the severity, it is something that gradually worsens. Therefore, the warning sign of a stage three bedsore is the same as the symptoms of a stage 2 bedsore, which is a red or pink wound that may be weeping or oozing. It may also present as a fluid-filled blister.
Some of the areas that are most vulnerable to bedsores are those that have constant contact with a bed or chair. These often include:
- Lower back, tailbone, hips, buttocks
- Backs of the arms and legs
- The back or side of the head
You can identify bedsores early by conducting regular checks of these areas in residents and loved ones who lack independent mobility
Contributing Factors to Bed Sores
Anyone can develop a stage 3 bedsore from a prolonged period in a bed or chair without movement. However, some medical conditions or traits can make residents more vulnerable:
- Diabetes
- Spinal cord injuries
- Circulatory problems
- Cancer
These conditions can affect your ability to feel the injury, as well as your body’s ability to heal it appropriately.
The Consequences of Stage 3 Pressure Sores
These types of injuries require medical intervention that can be painful, time-consuming, and costly. In appropriately run facilities, a pressure sore should never get this bad, and it is often a clear case of neglect.
When this happens, you have the right to speak with an attorney to sue for the resulting damages, and many may choose to file a report with Montana Adult Protective Services.