If you visit your loved one at their nursing facility and notice what appears to be blisters on their body, pay close attention. In reality, you may actually be looking at pressure ulcers, also called bedsores.
You can often find these sores at the joints, back, hips and tailbone, along with the back of the heels. Unfortunately, they can also potentially indicate neglect in the nursing home.
The causes of pressure ulcers
Johns Hopkins Medicine examines bedsores, a somewhat common occurrence in nursing homes. Bedsores occur when prolonged pressure gets applied to one area of the body without any relief, i.e. without the victim having the ability or opportunity to move and relieve this pressure. This is why you see it most often at points of contact with a bed or a wheelchair, such as a tailbone or along the spine.
Signs of neglect
These injuries may indicate neglect because they point to the fact that your loved one has likely stayed in one position for hours without movement. It can take several hours for a pressure ulcer to begin forming, and in this time, staff of the nursing home should have noticed if your loved one needed help getting out of bed or out of a wheelchair. If immobile, staff should regularly go into their room to rotate their position specifically so bedsores do not form.
Pressure ulcers can differ in severity from something barely noticeable to bone-deep infections that may never fully recover. This is why it is crucial to seek medical attention quickly and to consider taking legal action to protect your loved one.
