As a New Jersey nursing home abuse lawyer, we bedsore prevention and how some nursing homes are now using a “team” approach to actively fight this problem. My absolute favorite quote from the another Nursing home abuse advocate is “preventing bedsores is a 24/7/365 kind of job.” Duh! Of course it is! The question is why most nursing homes don”t see things from that perspective?
A lawyer who represents cliens with bed sores, pressure ulcers and sees other kinds of nursing home abuse, we are happy when we see some nursing homes and long term care facilities finding “creative, low-tech solutions” being implemented by nursing homes to fight bedsores. Some homes that have developed a simple team approach to keep residents constantly moving to avoid pressure sores:
- Laundry workers now make sure resident”s clothes fit properly and are not restricting the skin;
- The Kitchen staff has added protein powder in their cookie mix to boost nutrition. They have also changed their food service to buffet rather than sit down dining to encourage residents to keep moving; and
- The beauty shop now repositions clients as they are getting their hair done to prevent sitting in one position for too long.
These changes are so simple, yet extremely effective. And they don”t require any extra technology or funding for nursing homes and is a great example of how to use technology to the resident”s advantage. As a New Jersey Nursing home abuse lawyer, we also encourage nursing home to purchase mattresses made with high-density foam to reduce pressure on key areas. They also use special moisture blocking creams on incontinent patients to help reduce prolonged urine contact with the skin.
Again, these are simple, yet effective ways to reduce bedsores in nursing home residents. All they require is a little bit of effort and a little bit of creativity. And while these suggestions may not completely reduce incidents of bedsores, I think families would feel much better knowing that the facility is truly taking an aggressive approach in caring for their loved one.
For further information on bedsores and nursing home abuse, click on the following links:
Jessie Mae Ned was 51 when she decided to undergo a knee replacement at Parkland Memorial Hospital. She had been working at Parkland for 28 years as part of the cleaning staff. Most of her time was spent scrubbing floors and toilets before she attained supervisor status. At 51, arthritis had rendered her left knee useless. Ned’s primary care physician, a doctor at the Parkland employee clinic, referred her to Dr. Frank Gottschalk, a University of Texas Southwestern Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Parkland specialist in joint reconstruction and amputation. The doctor scheduled the procedure for the last Friday of August in 2008. 
Many patients that have had the 
Nursing homes frequently allow their residents (our loved ones) to acquire decubitus ulcers, which are more commonly referred to as pressure sores or bedsores. These horrible pressure ulcers are often a result of nursing home neglect regarding the care they provide and preventative methods they employ. High risk bedsore patients (patients who are bedridden) are to be rotated every two hours. Failing to do so is failing to appreciate the risk of skin breakdown for the resident, allowing for the actual development of the bedsores. Even worse, negligent nursing homes that allow for the development of these bedsores commonly fail to properly treat them. It is in these instances that pressure ulcers can become deadly. 
In the United States, hip replacement surgery is one of the most common orthopaedic surgeries that occurs each year. In fact, since 1997, there have been approximately 300,000 hip replacement surgeries performed in the United States. Without question, the development of prosthetic hip joint replacements, and the development of cement or “glue” to securely place these implant parts into the human skeleton, has been one of the most major advancements in orthopaedic surgery during the last several decades.
Parkland Memorial Hospital is the primary teaching hospital for the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, Texas. It allows residents to perform entire procedures with or without the supervision of attending physicians. According to their own patient safety officer, Dr. Angelique Ramirez, “[they] harm two patients a day in a significant way.”
In a tragic case of 
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The hip is a joint between the top of the leg bone (“femur“) and the pelvis bone (“acetabulum“). Hip pain is caused when there is damage to this joint. The main function of the hip joint is to support the weight of a body while standing, walking, or running. Damage can occur for a variety of reasons and cause pain, but, there is no “cure” for hip pain.