Bedsores are common injuries for nursing home residents. Nursing home residents who suffer from bedsores typically need medical care to treat the wound and to prevent further complications. While not every nursing home resident who develops a bedsore needs to be seen by a wound care specialist, some residents may require that level of care.
Nursing Homes Must Provide Reasonable Care for All Residents
How reasonable care is defined depends upon the seriousness of the bedsore and the nursing home resident’s overall health. Treatment options may range from keeping the pressure injury clean and dry to surgery.
In most cases, when a bedsore develops, a doctor should be consulted. This may be the nursing home resident’s usual physician if a bedsore is discovered in its early stages. Emergency medical care should be provided if the bedsore smells bad, is dark in color, or if the resident is running a fever.
Wound care for the elderly can be very complicated. The skin is an organ and some experts have likened frequent skin injuries to organ failure. Accordingly, some general practice physicians may not be able to provide reasonable care to a nursing home resident without the assistance of a wound specialist.
Wound care specialists include nurses, doctors, and physical therapists. In order to be considered a wound care specialist, the medical professional must have three years of experience in wound care and take a special written examination. This is in addition to the other medical training and tests they must pass to be a doctor, nurse, or physical therapist. The additional training provides wound specialists with a broad range of options to effectively treat and prevent bedsores.
Take Action After a Nursing Home Bedsore Injury
If the nursing home failed to provide you or a loved one with appropriate medical care after a nursing home injury, the injury may have worsened because of nursing home negligence.
Victims of nursing home negligence deserve to make fair recoveries.
Has Your Loved One Been Injured In A Nursing Home?
If you believe your loved one is being subjected to nursing home abuse you need to speak with an experienced Kentucky nursing home neglect attorney as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our office directly at 888.450.4456 to schedule a free consultation.
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