New York Bedsores Lawyer
A bedsore is not a minor blemish that causes slight discomfort. Bedsores are serious injuries to the skin and underlying tissue—they are ulcers, and are incredibly painful and can lead to even more dangerous health concerns. It is the duty of a nursing home to take all reasonable measures to prevent patients from developing bedsores. If your loved one has needlessly suffered due to the carelessness of a nursing home, a New York nursing home negligence attorney can help you seek compensation to help right the wrong. The New York bedsores lawyers at Cohan Law Firm will conduct an investigation, compile medical records, and hold the at-fault party fully accountable for the economic and non-economic damages they have caused.
What are Bedsores?
A bedsore is characterized as an ulcer on the skin, usually at pressure points where the patient’s body meets the bed they are lying on or chair/wheelchair they are sitting in: hips, heels, ankles, tailbone, buttock, spine, and shoulder blades. Bedsores are caused by prolonged pressure on the skin, and occur when nursing home staff fail to rotate or move the patient into different positions to alleviate the pressure on any given skin contact point. In addition to moving the patient manually, nursing homes should take additional precautions. For example, certain types of nursing home beds and hospital beds are designed to reduce the chance of a bedsore from occurring. These include alternating pressure mattresses filled with air, high quality foam and latex mattresses designed to spread out a patient’s weight over a larger surface, and rotating beds that slowly move the patient from side to side.
Signs of Nursing Home Negligence Due to Bedsore Injuries
Bedsores may develop over a period of hours, days, or weeks. The longer a bedsore has been left untreated, the more painful it is and the more likely it is to become infected. As such, catching a bedsore early and treating it quickly should be every nursing home’s top priority if the first goal—prevention—fails. Signs of a bedsore include:
- Redness
- Swelling
- Discoloration
- Pain at the site
- Pus or drainage
- Warmth or coolness at the site
- Fever or other signs of infection
If left untreated, not only will the nursing home patient be left in pain and extreme discomfort, which reduces their quality of life and their ability to heal and regain their strength from other injuries or illnesses, but untreated bedsores can cause life-threatening infections.
A New York Bedsore Negligence Attorney is Here to Provide the Help Your Loved One Needs
Bedsores are often the early warning signs that a nursing home is negligent in other ways. If your loved one has developed bedsores, it is up to you to take action and protect them from further harm. We urge you to reach out to an experienced nursing home negligence attorney at Cohan Law Firm today for assistance. By filing a personal injury claim, you can seek medical damages, pain and suffering, loss of joy of life, and more. Call us at 855.855.0321 to schedule a free consultation.
