Nursing homes exist because older adults need support in their daily lives to stay safe and healthy. Their immediate family members aren’t always physically able to provide that care. They could have career demands or children of their own that make caring for an aging loved one impossible. Nursing homes help when families cannot.
When your loved one is in a nursing home, you expect them to receive support and compassionate treatment from the professionals tasked with providing for their well-being. Unfortunately, many nursing homes don’t have enough staff on hand, leading to poor outcomes for residents. Although many people associate bedsores with nursing homes, these painful injuries are usually preventable.
Immobile residents don’t have to develop bedsores
A bedsore is a pressure ulcer, which is a wound that results from the weight of the human body pushing on itself due to gravity.
It is common for people who cannot leave their beds or spend their entire days in chairs to develop bedsores at the points on their bodies that have extended contact with this furniture. The rear portion of the knees, buttocks, back of the shoulders and heels are some of the most common places for bedsores to develop.
Nursing home staff can help prevent bedsores by encouraging residents to move frequently or by rotating those who cannot move independently. They can also help by elevating body parts and using cushioning devices like foam or inflatables to reduce pressure on certain body parts. Regular inspections for bedsores are also important, as the injuries will progress if left untreated.
Identifying bedsores as a possible sign of nursing home neglect could help you better protect an aging loved one.
