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The law office of Davis & Brusca, LLC has worked on nursing home neglect cases for many years, fighting for the rights of folks who have been neglected and even deprived of life’s basic necessities. A compassionate bed sore lawyer serving Trenton, New Jersey at Davis & Brusca, LLC knows that when your loved one requires the care of a nursing home, you want them to be treated with dignity. You expect them to be treated with respect. And they deserve the best medical care.
Sadly, many nursing homes fall short of this standard. When that happens, trust our experienced and compassionate legal team to fight for you. We hold nursing homes accountable for the wrongful actions of their staff and employees. At Davis & Brusca, LLC, we take your loved one’s rights seriously. We can help you fight against nursing home neglect and will seek compensation for the harm they have caused.
If your senior relative has developed a bedsore while living in a nursing home, it is crucial that you speak with a NJ bedsore lawyer from Davis & Brusca, LLC. Our team of dedicated attorneys can help you understand the causes of bedsores and learn why this may be happening to your loved one. In many cases, bedsores are caused by nursing home neglect, such as when the nurses and aids employed by the facility fail to move the resident frequently enough to relieve areas of pressure. Estimates and studies reveal that approximately 1 in every 10 nursing home residents suffer from a painful bedsore at one point or another. This does NOT need to happen, however. Bedsores are both preventable and treatable. As such, they fact that they have developed or, worse still, have become infected are unacceptable. They are always cause for concern and demand immediate action.
Distraught family members often meet with a trusted bedsore lawyer in New Jersey from Davis & Brusca, LLC wanting to know about how they can protect their senior relative from nursing home neglect, such as bedsores. Our lawyers have dedicated their practices to protecting the health and happiness of New Jersey’s seniors and their families for many years. We can give you thorough and empathetic legal guidance in how to handle suspected incidents of neglect or abuse.
Do Not Take Bedsores Lightly
It may come as a surprise for family members to hear that bedsores are incredibly serious. These ulcers can lead to health complications and even death if left untreated. Bedsores are, quite simply, areas of broke and damaged skin. They are caused when the skin, usually over bony areas, are subjected to prolonged and excessive pressure. Examples of areas that are particularly vulnerable to developing bedsores include the heels, buttocks back and hips. A NJ bedsore lawyer at Davis & Brusca can answer the questions you may have related to identifying bedsores.
Sustained Pressure vs Friction
Some bedsores occur when the resident is immobile for far too long, either in the laying down or sitting position and are caused by sustained pressure. However, there are other risk factors. For instance, bedsores may also be caused to develop when the resident’s skin is dragged, pulled or otherwise placed under traction by movement along a surface. This commonly occurs with improper efforts to move the resident, lift them up, or placing them in an improper seated position in a bed or wheelchair. Nurses or aides who are inexperienced or overworked, may move a resident without proper technique or gentleness causing skin damage which then erupts into a bed sore.
Investigating Further
Nurses or aides at a facility may try to talk you out of being concerned. They may offer reassurance or may suggest that bedsores are common, even “Normal”, for residents who cannot move very far without help. Rest assured this is NOT the case. Family members who see bedsores on their elderly loved ones should investigate further and may benefit from seeking the assistance of a NJ bedsore lawyer at Davis & Brusca to confirm whether neglect is actually the root of the problem. Despite what caregivers may try to convince you of, bedsores should NEVER be seen as “normal” and should not be shrugged off as minor.
Other Factors
Caregivers are responsible for moving and repositioning residents to help prevent bedsores. They are also there to provide clean bedding and unsoiled clothing at all times. A resident that is left to sit in dirty clothes or sheets while having bedsores may begin to see a serious infection developing. The bed sore itself is often the product of a bigger problem at the facility. The story of “why” the bedsore developed is often a systemic failure of the facility itself. For example, the nursing home staff may be negligent, insensitive, overworked, and lack proper training.
Get the help of a NJ Bedsore Lawyer!
We invite you to reach out to us so we can begin discussing your loved one’s condition. We are just as serious in seeking justice for your loved one as you are, so please let us help. Call a bedsore lawyer in NJ from Davis & Brusca, LLC today.
What is nursing home neglect?
Before contacting a bed sore lawyer in Trenton, NJ, you probably became aware that something was off at your loved one’s nursing home. Perhaps they are acting out of character or their condition seems to be worsening for no reason. So what are the types of neglect in a nursing home facility? Here are some examples of neglect our team sees on an all too frequent basis:
Signs of Nursing Home Neglect
Most of our seniors end up in a nursing home because they require a greater level of care than the family can provide. One factor driving this is usually the demands of everyday life and work. Because the time available to spend with a loved one may be limited, it may be hard for even the most involved folks to see the warning signs of neglect before harm sets in. To try to help, we’ve provided a short list of some of the more common signs below. If you see signs from this list or otherwise suspect neglect or abuse, take immediate action. The sooner you call our office and connect with a Trenton, NJ bed sore lawyer, the sooner we can help. So, what are some of the warning signs?
Also bear in mind that research indicates that elderly nursing home patients who are often visited by friends and family are at a lower risk for experiencing neglect or abuse by a nursing home. By visiting more frequently, a resident may be less likely to be abused.
What can I do if I suspect neglect?
Neglecting the elderly in a nursing home is not only immoral, but it is against the law. If you suspect your loved one has been a victim of neglect, contact Davis & Brusca, LLC as soon as you can so that we can fight for your loved one’s rights. The attorneys at Davis & Brusca, LLC are not only dedicated to fighting for victims of neglect in nursing homes, but they are compassionate to their needs and will pursue the compensation your loved one deserves. Call our office today for a confidential consultation and let a bed sore lawyer Trenton, NJ families trust fight for you!
Bedsores in Nursing Homes
Bedsores are both painful and can be potentially fatal for people who are bedridden or confined to wheelchairs, such as nursing home residents. Bedsores are caused by the constant pressure of the victim’s weight reducing the blood supply to skin and tissue underneath the skin. Without the flow of blood, the tissues die and then break apart, causing an open wound. Not only are bedsores painful, but they also present a high risk of dangerous infections. Although some bedsores are unpreventable, a bed sore lawyer in Trenton, New Jersey from Davis & Brusca, LLC knows that they can also be an indicator that a nursing home resident is being neglected. When a patient cannot move on their own, they need the help of nursing home staff to turn on a regular basis to avoid bedsores.
What Are Bedsores?
Bedsores are also referred to as decubitus ulcers, pressure sores, and pressure ulcers. They usually form in areas where there is less muscle or body fat between skin and bone. Common locations where bedsores develop are the elbows, heels, hips, shoulder blades, spine, and tailbone. Bedsores develop in stages:
When a bedsores are left untreated, bedsores can cause a dangerous and potentially fatal infection known as “sepsis.” This is a result of bacteria entering the victim’s bloodstream through the open bedsore. Patients can also develop a very aggressive cancer – squamous cell carcinoma – from chronic bedsores.
When a patient has stage 1 or stage 2 bedsores, treatment involves cleaning and dressing the wound, as well as relieving the pressure in the area where the bedsore is. If the bedsore develops into stage 3 or 4, surgery will be necessary to remove the damaged and infected tissue and repair the ulcer. This procedure – called flap reconstruction – involves taking a piece of the patient’s skin, muscle, or other tissue and grafting it to cover the wound and provide a cushion for the affected bone.
As a Trenton NJ bed sore lawyer can explain, there are specific federal regulations in place that ensure nursing home residents do not develop bedsores, requiring hygienic, nutritional, and medical care be followed. Exceptions are only if the facility can show that the resident’s condition made developing bedsores unavoidable.
Contact a Trenton NJ Bed Sore Lawyer for Help
If you suspect your elderly loved one is a victim of nursing home neglect or abuse, you need the help of a dedicated bed sore lawyer Trenton NJ families trust from Davis & Brusca, LLC to help your family get the financial justice you deserve and to make sure those responsible for your loved one’s pain are held legally accountable.