NYC Bedsore Lawyer
Putting someone you love into a nursing home is not an easy decision to make. It’s something children do for aging parents or their own spouses to help them get the daily care they need. Not everyone is equipped to provide that constant level of attention required for an elderly relative. It isn’t always possible or feasible to hire a nurse to work in-home either.
Nursing homes should be a safe place that can give the level of care your relative needs. When you put your loved one into a nursing home, you expect the staff to provide the constant care required to keep them healthy and safe. What you don’t expect is to find the person you love covered with painful, gaping bedsores.
For an NYC personal injury lawyer experienced with holding nursing homes accountable for bedsores and other forms of abuse, contact the attorneys at Isaacson, Schiowitz & Korson, LLP today. We will work on your behalf for justice and fair compensation.
What Are Bedsores?
Bedsores, which are also called pressure sores or pressure ulcers, are injuries to the skin and the tissues beneath the impacted area caused by extended periods of pressure. These injuries can occur for those sitting in wheelchairs or confined to bed when they remain in one position for hours or days on end.
These sores require immediate treatment to heal. Some of them never heal, leaving scores of sores all over the affected area. Bedsores that get to these advanced stages can pose other serious health risks, sometimes with deadly outcomes. To reach these stages means that someone has neglected caring for your relative, leaving them to suffer in extreme pain.
If you have a loved one in a New York nursing home that has been neglected and left with bed sores, contact the experienced lawyers at Isaacson, Schiowitz & Korson, LLP for a free initial consultation.
Bedsore Symptoms
Even if you visit your loved one in a nursing home often, you may not know you’re looking at a bedsore. They usually have draining pus and come with skin color and textural changes. Bedsores also leave one area of the skin feeling warmer or cooler than other parts and can make the skin feel tender or swollen.
When caught early, these can be treated. But more often than not, cases of nursing home neglect involve bedsores in the most dangerous stages. Don’t let your loved one suffer. Contact a New York bedsore lawyer to file a claim.
Bedsores: A Sign of Nursing Home Neglect
Nursing homes in New York are notorious for neglectful acts against their patients. These institutions have a duty of care to provide those basic needs. When they do not fulfill their obligations, bedsore injuries and other troubles can arise.
Neglect is sadly a common issue in these facilities. Bedsores are preventable by providing proper nutrition and fluid intake. Taking good care of the skin and getting a patient to change positions more frequently can keep these pressure sores from arising. When these sores are in more advanced stages, it’s an outrage and robs your loved one of their dignity. Isaacson, Schiowitz & Korson, LLP will stand up for you and your elderly relatives in New York. Contact us for a free initial consultation about your case.
Common Sites for Bedsores and Pressure Ulcers
If you are worried about someone you love in a nursing home, you should take a look for bedsores in the most common locations. The key to keeping them from getting out of hand is to prevent them or catch them early on. For those using wheelchairs, these sores are predominantly found on the backs of legs and arms, though they can be found on the buttocks, spine, tailbone, and shoulder blades.
When an elderly relative in a New York nursing home spends their days in bed, bedsores are more likely on the back of the head in the back, left, right, or both sides. They may also be present on the hips, lower back, behind the knees, shoulder blades, heels, and ankles.
How Do Bedsores Happen in NYC Nursing Homes?
New York nursing home facilities must take care to turn an immobile person with enough frequency. This step is essential for proper circulation and blood flow. Leaving someone in the same position for too long starts affecting the skin, causing the tissues beneath it to die from lack of oxygen flow through the blood.
That’s when these sores develop, a violation of the standard of care that was promised to you and your family. Additionally, incontinence is a common occurrence that can make things worse. The highly acidic nature of urine contributes to the breakdown of skin.
New York nursing homes may be overwhelmed with patients and understaffed, but it is no excuse for the dehumanized treatment of your loved ones. Contact our law office today to discuss the next steps in your nursing home abuse claim.
Stages Of Bedsores
In cases of bedsores, they can be treated and healed in the early stages. Since bedsores can range from mild to severe, it stands to reason that letting them get to the severe point is neglectful.
Bedsores categorized in stage one are the mildest form. They’re sore to the touch and lead to discoloration of the upper layer of skin. They may come with a burning or itching sensation, but at this point, they are treatable and can be healed even though there is a lack of normal blood flow.
Stage two bedsores come with noticeable pain. The sore area has broken through and reveals an open wound. Sometimes, these come with blisters that have pus. The surrounding skin may be swollen and red, or your loved one may complain they’re sore.
Bedsores that progress to stage three have broken through the two top layers of the skin while penetrating the fatty tissue just beneath them. These often have a foul odor and can often look like a crater. Oozing pus is common with stage three bedsores.
When bedsores reach stage four progression, it’s the most serious of cases. These pressure ulcers go beyond the subcutaneous fat and reach into the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. In the worst instances, they can extend to the bone or cartilage. Stage four bed sores have the highest risk of infection and leave the victim in severe pain.
Seeing a loved one in a New York nursing home with any stage of bedsores is heartbreaking. However, seeing them with bedsores that have reached stage four are a cause for outrage. At this stage, they may never recover, often leading to sepsis and cellulitis. Getting prompt treatment from a doctor experienced with treating bedsores is encouraged. After that, you need a New York attorney experienced with pursuing bedsore injuries. Contact Isaacson, Schiowitz & Korson, LLP for the best legal representation.
Most Bedsores Are Preventable
Since bedsores are preventable with proper care, it is infuriating to see anyone suffer from them in more advanced stages. When a nursing home is providing care to its patients, bedsores will never advance beyond the first stage.
The worse a bedsore becomes, the more it rings of negligence. Patients in wheelchairs and beds should be adjusted in position every two hours to reduce pressure from the contact between those body parts and the surfaces. Massages and lotions should be regularly applied to encourage healthy blood flow.
This requires sufficient staff at the facilities to oversee these tasks. While nursing homes and healthcare facilities struggle to keep enough staff, it should never impact any patient’s quality of life. We often see complacent staff that don’t make an effort or take the time to provide the proper level of care to avoid bedsores.
At Isaacson, Schiowitz & Korson, LLP, we find this type of behavior disgraceful. Bedsores take time to progress to these levels, and it shows a lack of care from the nursing home when it gets to this point. Many of them engage in staff reduction to reduce overhead and increase profits. Your loved ones are paying the cost and suffering all the while.
Contact us today to fight for justice against nursing home abuse.
How Our Bedsore Injury Lawyer Can Help You
No one should ever see a loved one suffering in pain. Bedsores are a preventable type of affliction and easily treatable in the onset. An elderly relative with bedsores in advanced stages shows clear neglect.
If your loved one has become a victim of New York nursing home neglect and abuse, our seasoned attorneys at Isaacson, Schiowitz & Korson, LLP are here to help. You have paid good money and trusted a facility to care for your aging relative. These nursing homes have taken your money all while letting someone you love writhe in pain.
Get the legal representation you need from our experienced team. We will fight to ensure this abuse stops and get you maximum compensation. The aging population of New York deserves to be treated with respect. Contact our legal team today to arrange a free initial consultation to discuss your case.