For your loved one to suffer an illness, injury or to die at the hands of nursing home staff is devastating. If you have aging parents or grandparents in a nursing home facility, you expect they will receive the best possible care.
Unfortunately, some seniors suffer neglect and abuse. One condition that can arise from nursing home neglect is deep vein thrombosis.
Risks of DVT
According to Mayo Clinic, deep vein thrombosis occurs when a person has a blood clot in a deep vein. Generally, DVT begins in one of the legs. The blood clot moves from the leg and becomes stuck in the patient’s lungs. If your loved one is in bed for long periods, then blood clots may begin to form in his or her legs.
Patients over the age of 60 who have to remain in bed and sit for long periods are most likely to develop deep vein thrombosis.
DVT because of neglect
The North American Thrombosis Forum explains that DVT or pulmonary embolisms can occur within the first week or month after admission into a nursing home. Nursing home staff may leave a patient in bed, fearing if they allow him or her to walk around there is a chance of a fall. Overstaffed nursing home workers may also leave patients in their beds for too long, without any exercise.
Additionally, because of the varying backgrounds of nursing home staff, staff may not recognize the signs of a pulmonary embolism. Away from their families, seniors do not always have the same advocacy as other patients.
