If you have been following our posts, we hope that the nursing home abuse tips for the prevention of bedsores and pressure ulcers series have been helpful to you or a family member who may be a nursing home abuse victim. These bedsore and pressure ulcer prevention tips are quite simple, yet may make a difference in whether a nursing home patient develops a pressure ulcer or bedsore. The theme of these posts is simple: Prevention is always the best medicine when it comes to preventing bedsore and pressure ulcers in nursing homes.
Tip#6 for Preventing Bedsores or Pressure Ulcers
The sixth tip nursing home abuse lawyers offer in preventing bedsores and pressure ulcers is to make sure a nursing home patient has proper nutrition. Many nursing home patients do not get proper nutrition because nursing home staff may be poorly trained, over-worked, or may not fully understand how closely nutrition is related to bedsore and pressure ulcers. Although nursing home staff are required by law to know the many ways to prevent a bedsore or a pressure ulcer, many nursing home staff do not get this training or education from the nursing home. This is not acceptable and is just another form of nursing home patient neglect. Nursing home staff must know the reasons for malnutrition. For example, patients may have difficulty feeding themselves, do not enjoy meals, or are taking medications which upset their stomachs. These patients need specific nutrition assessments to ensure that a bedsore or pressure ulcer will not form.
We encourage any family member of a nursing home patient to speak with the nursing home staff to ensure that a dietician or nutritionist is monitoring the nursing home patient’s condition. A nursing home staff member needs to identify any factors which can compromise protein or caloric intake. Poor nutrition monitoring is one of the leading causes of bedsores and pressure ulcers in nursing home patients. As New Jersey and Philadelphia nursing home abuse lawyers, we believe that there is no excuse for a nursing home patient to be undernourished, leading to bedsores or pressure ulcers. Simple steps such as multivitamins, nutritional supplements, and a regular schedule of hydration can and should be provided to all nursing home patients to prevent pressure ulcers and bedsores. All families should ask the nursing home staff whether or not their loved one is being provided with multivitamins and supplements and ask to see the chart to document that this pressure ulcer and bedsore preventive measure is being taken every day.
Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers in New Jersey and Philadelphia
If you’re loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse and/or has aquired bedsores or pressure ulcers while a resident at a long term care facility, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation. Our nursing home abuse lawyers are skilled at earning victims of nursing home abuse full and fair compensation. You may also call for a free consultation at (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey, or (215) 567-2380 in Philadelphia.