When someone develops bedsores in a nursing home, New Jersey bedsore lawyers know that’s a clear sign of elder abuse or nursing home neglect. Sadly, most people believe the lie that bedsores are normal and expected in nursing homes.
However, bedsores are a sign of negligence and nursing homes can be held responsible for these injuries. Experienced New Jersey bedsore lawyers can offer expertise and determine if you have a case for medical malpractice.

Here are some questions that New Jersey bedsore lawyers can help you answer.

What are bedsores?

According to New Jersey bedsore lawyers, bedsores are also known as pressure sores, decubitus ulcers (meaning lying down) or pressure ulcers. Caused by unrelieved pressure, bedsores occur when skin and tissue break down. People who are bedridden or stay in the same position for an extended period of time are at the highest risk of infection.
Nursing home neglect or assisted living abuse can certainly be the reason a patient develops a bedsore. Contact a doctor immediately if you or a loved one has a bedsore.

What are the stages of bedsores?

New Jersey bedsore lawyers will categorize bedsores into four stages:

• Stage 1: Abnormal skin temperature or texture, patient feels pain
• Stage 2: Damage to the epidermis, such as a blister or abrasion
• Stage 3: Full thickness skin loss
• Stage 4: Full thickness tissue loss

How do you get bedsores in a nursing home?

New Jersey bedsore lawyers have seen patients get bedsores for many reasons. Residents in a nursing home or elder care facility are more susceptible to developing bedsores than others. Age is the main reason. The elderly have thinner skin than younger people, their bodies might be frail, and they might be immobile if dealing with a serious operation or sickness.

New Jersey bedsore lawyers that have experience with these cases would tell you that bedsores are very preventable. Proper care, regular inspection and good nutrition are usually enough to keep someone from developing bedsores.
However, nursing home residents may develop bedsores as a result of the following:

– Nurses or medical staff failing to move and re-position immobile patients every two hours
– Failing to administer proper fluids and nutrition
– Exposure to urine or other moisture, which is usually the result of leaving wet diapers and sheets on the resident for extended periods of time
– Failure of caregivers to notify a physician of a potential bedsore so that appropriate care can be given
– Basic neglect from understaffed and improperly trained nursing home staff

Are bedsores dangerous?

Bedsores can be fatal if they are not treated properly. At the least, bedsores are painful. If left untreated or not treated properly, bedsores can cause infection, septic shock, gangrene and possibly death.

Do I need a New Jersey bedsore lawyer? My loved one developed a bedsore at a local nursing home.

New Jersey bedsore lawyers can only help you. Employees of nursing homes in New Jersey and Pennsylvania have very strict guidelines for preventing bedsores. An elder abuse lawyer would tell you that if the nursing home staff followed protocol, your loved one would never have developed a bedsore. The only reason to develop a bedsore under these circumstances is negligence.

How do I contact a New Jersey bedsore lawyer? I believe my loved one is a victim of nursing home abuse.

If your loved one has developed a bedsore at a nursing home or elder care facility in NJ or PA, call (856) 833-0600 in New Jersey or (215) 567-2380 in Pennsylvania to talk to a civil trial lawyer. You can also contact the Mininno Law Office by filling out the form on the left side of the page. You will be contacted by a New Jersey medical malpractice & negligence attorney within 12 hours.