Pressure sores, also known as bedsores or decubitus ulcers, are a serious problem among nursing home residents. People with the highest risk of bedsores are those who spend most of their time in bed or in a chair, or those who have medical conditions that limit their ability to change positions. Most pressure sores are preventable when nursing home caregivers take the time to properly reposition residents and implement other precautionary measures.
Without proper care, bedsores can progress rapidly, creating the risk of sepsis, severe infections, tissue damage, and other life-threatening complications. If your elderly loved one has developed pressure sores in a Texas nursing home, it may be a sign of neglect and negligence on the part of the facility and its staff.
At Sorey & Hoover, LLP, our Texas nursing home abuse lawyers help families investigate whether a nursing home failed to provide the basic care needed to prevent, identify, or treat pressure sores. When a facility allows a resident to develop serious bedsores because of poor care, understaffing, lack of monitoring, or delayed treatment, the nursing home may be held responsible.
Why Bedsores Can Be a Sign of Nursing Home Neglect
Bedsores are not just a medical condition. In many nursing home cases, they are a warning sign that a resident’s basic needs were not being met. Residents who cannot move on their own rely on caregivers to help them change positions, stay clean and dry, receive proper nutrition, and get timely wound care.
When nursing home staff fail to provide that care, pressure sores can develop and worsen. A small area of redness can turn into an open wound. An open wound can become infected. In severe cases, an untreated bedsore can lead to sepsis, hospitalization, surgery, permanent injury, or death.
What Causes Pressure Sores and Decubitus Ulcers in Nursing Homes?
Pressure sores can occur when a resident’s skin and underlying tissue are damaged by pressure, friction, or shear. These risks are especially serious for residents who are bedridden, use wheelchairs, have limited mobility, or cannot communicate pain or discomfort clearly.
Bedsores: Stages 1 Through 4
Pressure sores are classified by severity. Knowing the stages can help families understand why early intervention is so important. A Stage 1 bedsore may be manageable with prompt care, but an advanced bedsore can become a medical emergency.
Stage 1
Stage 1 is the mildest stage of a bedsore and affects only the upper layer of skin. Symptoms may include burning, itching, pain, or an area that feels different than the surrounding skin. The skin may feel softer, firmer, warmer, or cooler.
Families may notice a red or discolored area that does not get lighter when pressed or even several minutes afterward. This may indicate that less blood flow is reaching the area. With proper treatment, Stage 1 pressure sores may resolve in as little as a few days.
Stage 2
In Stage 2, the bedsore extends deeper below the surface of the skin. The area may be swollen, warm, red, painful, or broken open. The sore may look like a blister or shallow open wound and may ooze clear fluid or pus.
A Stage 2 pressure sore should be taken seriously. With proper treatment, it may improve within days or weeks, but without appropriate care, it can worsen and become infected.
Stage 3
Stage 3 pressure sores go through the skin layers into the fatty tissue underneath. At this stage, the bedsore may look like a crater and may have an unpleasant odor. Signs of infection may include red edges, heat, drainage, pus, and worsening pain.
If tissue in or around the sore has died, it may appear black. Stage 3 wounds can take months to heal even with proper treatment. When a nursing home allows a wound to reach this stage, families should ask whether the facility missed earlier warning signs.
Stage 4
Stage 4 bedsores are the most serious. These wounds may affect muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bone. The sore may be large and deep, with blackened skin and signs of infection such as odor, heat, pus, drainage, and red edges.
Stage 4 pressure sores are a medical emergency and may require surgery, hospitalization, advanced wound care, or long-term treatment. Recovery can take months or years, and some residents never fully recover.
What Are the Risk Factors for Pressure Sores?
Older people in nursing homes with health conditions and limited mobility have a higher risk of developing pressure sores. A higher risk does not mean a nursing home can ignore prevention. In fact, it means the facility should take extra precautions.
Common risk factors include:
- Immobility or limited mobility
- Lack of sensory perception, including neurological disorders or spinal cord injuries
- Poor hydration and nutrition
- Medical conditions affecting blood flow, such as diabetes or vascular disease
- Incontinence
- Cognitive impairment
- Recent surgery or hospitalization
- Use of wheelchairs or extended bedrest
When a resident has these risk factors, the nursing home should assess the resident, document the risk, and create a care plan designed to prevent pressure injuries.
Common Locations for Pressure Sores
Pressure sores often develop in areas where bones are close to the skin. The location may depend on whether the resident spends most of their time in a wheelchair or in bed.
For nursing home residents confined to a wheelchair, pressure sores are common in the following sites:
- Tailbone
- Buttocks
- Shoulder blades
- Spine
- Backs of arms
- Backs of legs
Residents who are bedridden are more likely to develop bedsores in the following areas:
- Back or sides of the head
- Shoulder blades
- Lower back
- Hips
- Tailbone
- Skin behind the knees
- Ankles
- Heels
Families should pay close attention to these areas when visiting a loved one, especially if the resident has limited mobility or has recently experienced a decline in health.
Complications Associated With Bedsores
Serious or life-threatening complications can develop from pressure sores. This is why proper prevention and care in nursing homes is essential. A bedsore should not be ignored, minimized, or treated as a normal part of aging.
Cellulitis
Cellulitis is an infection of the skin and surrounding soft tissues. Symptoms can include warmth, redness, swelling, pain, and spreading irritation around the wound. If not treated promptly, cellulitis can become more serious.
Bone and Joint Infections
Infections caused by pressure sores can spread into the bones and joints. Joint infections, also known as septic arthritis, can damage tissue and cartilage. Bone infections, known as osteomyelitis, can reduce function in the limbs and joints and may require aggressive treatment.
Sepsis
Sepsis is an extreme response of the body to infection. When microorganisms enter the body through a pressure sore, they can trigger a chain reaction with life-threatening consequences. Without proper and rapid treatment, sepsis can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death.
Cancer
Long-term pressure sores that do not heal can sometimes develop into a type of skin cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma. This risk is another reason chronic wounds require proper medical attention and monitoring.
What Responsibility Do Nursing Homes Have for Pressure Sores?
Nursing homes have a responsibility to take reasonable steps to prevent and treat pressure sores in residents. When they fail to provide the basic care necessary to prevent bedsores, they may be liable for resulting injuries.
If a resident enters a nursing home without pressure sores, the resident should not develop them unless they are clinically unavoidable. Nursing home staff are required to do everything reasonably possible to prevent bedsores. Once a decubitus ulcer has developed, the nursing home must provide proper care to avoid infection and promote healing.
This care may include routine skin checks, repositioning, pressure-reducing mattresses or cushions, proper hydration, nutritional support, toileting assistance, wound care, physician notification, and close monitoring. When these steps are not taken, the facility’s failure may amount to neglect.
When Are Nursing Homes Liable for Pressure Sores?
If a nursing home is negligent in preventing or treating bedsores, it may be held liable for the resulting injuries. A claim for compensation may be possible when the facility’s failures caused a resident to develop a pressure sore or allowed an existing sore to worsen.
Types of negligence in preventing pressure sores may include:
- Failure to regularly reposition a resident with mobility issues
- Failure to avoid leaving one part of the body bearing the resident’s weight for long periods
- Failure to provide adequate toileting care
- Failure to change clothing and bedding for incontinent residents
- Failure to provide sufficient fluids and nutrition
- Failure to monitor skin condition
- Failure to document wound development
- Failure to notify a doctor or family member about a worsening sore
- Failure to provide pressure-relieving devices
- Failure to follow a resident’s care plan
When a pressure sore has already developed, nursing home staff should change dressings regularly, apply wound treatments, use pressure-reducing devices, provide nutritional support, and monitor for infection. Failure to properly treat a bedsore can cause the wound to progress and may be grounds for a negligence claim.
Evidence That May Help Prove Nursing Home Neglect
Families may suspect neglect before they have proof. A nursing home may provide vague explanations or claim the wound was unavoidable. An attorney can help gather and review evidence to determine whether the facility failed to meet its responsibilities.
Important evidence may include:
- Medical records
- Wound care notes
- Photographs of the pressure sore
- Admission assessments
- Care plans
- Turning and repositioning records
- Nursing notes
- Medication records
- Nutrition and hydration records
- Staffing schedules
- Facility policies
- Inspection and complaint histories
- Witness statements
- Hospital records
Photographs can be especially important because pressure sores can change quickly. If your loved one has a visible wound, document it as soon as possible if it is safe and appropriate to do so.
What to Do If Your Loved One Has Bedsores in a Texas Nursing Home
If your loved one has developed a pressure sore, take the situation seriously. You do not have to know whether the facility was negligent before asking questions or speaking with an attorney.
First, make sure your loved one receives medical attention. Ask what stage the wound is, what treatment is being provided, and whether a doctor or wound care specialist has evaluated it. Request documentation and take notes during conversations with staff.
You should also photograph the wound if possible, document changes in your loved one’s condition, save all hospital discharge paperwork, and write down the names of staff members involved in the resident’s care. If the facility’s explanation changes or does not make sense, that may be an important warning sign.
How Sorey & Hoover, LLP Can Help
Bed sore cases require more than general knowledge about nursing home care. They require a careful review of what the facility knew, what it documented, what it failed to do, and how those failures harmed the resident.
Sorey & Hoover, LLP can investigate whether your loved one’s pressure sore was preventable, whether staff failed to reposition the resident, whether the facility ignored nutrition or hydration needs, and whether proper wound care was delayed. We can also review whether understaffing, poor training, negligent supervision, or facility mismanagement contributed to the injury.
Our team is committed to helping families understand their rights and pursue justice when nursing home neglect causes harm. Whether we are seeking a settlement or preparing for court, your loved one’s safety, dignity, and recovery remain our priority.
Get in Touch With Our Texas Nursing Home Bed Sore Lawyers
If your loved one has developed pressure sores or resulting complications in a nursing home, it is in your best interest to speak with an experienced Texas nursing home abuse lawyer right away. Bedsores may be a sign that a resident was neglected, ignored, or denied the basic care they needed to stay safe.
Connect with Sorey & Hoover, LLP to find out if you have a case and what damages you may be entitled to claim. Call (903) 230-5600 today for a free consultation with a Texas nursing home pressure sore lawyer.
