Pleasant Law Blog (Insurance Claims, Medical Misakes, and Nursing Home Claims)

Detecting Nursing Home Abuse or Neglect Is Not Always Easy

I recently had a client (who holds power of attorney for her loved one) see her loved one's "Stage 4" pressure ulcer (bed sore) for the first time, despite that the loved one had suffered from this avoidable injury for more than a couple of months. It wasn't through lack of concern or care, it was apparently just that throughout the whole ordeal, nobody ever thought about showing it to her, and, frankly, she did not understand how serious the pressure sore was. She was practically in tears after seeing it. Pressure sores/ulcers can get grotesquely large and deep, and clearly cause the nursing home resident much pain and suffering. I hear time and time again from nursing home abuse, neglect and wrongful death clients that they were totally unaware that their loved one was suffering from such a wound. Often, the hospital "blows the whistle" when the nursing home resident is admitted to the hospital (often due to healthcare emergencies related to neglect while in the nursing home, and sometimes emergencies related directly to the pressure sore itself). If you have a loved one in a nursing home, try to be involved with that person's care. Be there for changings, etc., so that wounds will be exposed. People with questions about pressure sores that develop in nursing homes in North Carolina should contact a nursing home injury, abuse, neglect or wrongful death attorney/lawyer.