Nursing Home Pressure Ulcer Injury Attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL, Seek Maximum Compensation in Bedsore Lawsuits in Palm Beach County and Throughout Florida
Bedsores are among the most serious signs of severe neglect in elderly care and nursing homes. If your loved one has suffered bedsores, you can sue the facility for neglect by working with West Palm Beach nursing home bedsore injury lawyers.
Bedsores, also called pressure ulcers or pressure sores, can be life-threatening if left untreated for too long, especially if they lead to gangrene or blood poisoning. Yet these painful sores are easily prevented by frequently moving, turning, and repositioning an immobile patient. One report found that 3.8% to 5.6% of nursing home residents suffer from bedsores, while another said more than half of pressure ulcer occurrences go unreported.
We expect elderly care facilities to provide a certain standard of care to our loved ones, which includes 24/7 monitoring and care. When they fail to do that, you can file a lawsuit against them with the help of nursing home pressure ulcer Injury attorneys in West Palm Beach, FL.
What Bedsore Injuries Mean in Nursing Homes in Palm Beach County and Throughout Florida
Pressure sores, bedsores, pressure ulcers, or decubitus ulcers are skin injuries that form when there is prolonged pressure or friction on an area of the skin. They happen when a person is too ill, weak, or incapacitated to turn or reposition themselves in bed.
Prolonged pressure against bony parts of the body as the shoulders, knees, arms, buttocks, and back can lead to open wounds that damage the skin and underlying tissue if left unchecked. There are four stages of bedsores based on severity:
- Stage I: a red area on the skin that may cause pain or itching. The skin may feel warm or spongy to the touch, and relieving pressure can induce self-healing
- Stage II: the upper layer of skin is lost through sustained pressure and friction, leading to an open wound on the skin with purple or red discoloration
- Stage III: even more damage has taken place on the skin and underlying tissue, turning into a deep hole or crater
- Stave IV: there’s extensive damage to the skin and underlying tissue including muscles, bones, and joints
Patients with conditions such as diabetes, paralysis, epilepsy, or severe mental illness are at a higher risk of bedsores. Nursing homes should provide an acceptable standard of care to residents to prevent bedsores by proving quality mattresses, good nutrition, and round-the-clock care for immobile patients.
What Causes Bedsores?
Pressure ulcers are one of the “never events” that should never happen if staff follow protocols. However, bedsores can form when immobile patients and those with limited mobility and left on their own for far too long.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, bedsores develop when the blood supply to the skin is cut off for more than 3 hours, which causes the skin to start dying. Some can be incredibly difficult to treat once they form, especially in patients with conditions such as diabetes.
In severely understaffed elderly care facilities, patients can be left sitting or lying in one position for days on end. This is a serious breach of care protocols and may amount to malpractice. Talk with West Palm Beach nursing home bedsore injury lawyers for help with such a case today.
Bedsore Injuries May Warrant a Malpractice Lawsuit in Palm Beach County and Throughout Florida
Contrary to what some hospitals or nursing homes say, bedsores are not inevitable. They’re an easily preventable condition so long as the proper care is provided. You can hold the nursing home responsible for bedsores, but you need evidence to prove that they’re negligent.
Bedsores are determined to be a liability of the facility where they originated, be it a hospital or elderly care facility. You can sue the liable facility based on negligence or due to a violation of the Florida Nursing Home Bill of Rights.
If you sue for negligence, your case falls under medical malpractice, and you must prove the bedsores occurred because the hospital didn’t provide a “reasonable standard of care” based on accepted medical norms.
If a bed sore becomes infected and leads to death, you can bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the nursing facility.
What Does it Take to Prove Negligence in Nursing Homes?
The legal yardstick used to measure negligence is that of a reasonable standard of medical care. In other words, what kind of care would a similar person with the same training and background have provided in the same circumstances?
In addition, a negligence case requires proof of four major elements:
- The defendant owed the victim a duty of care
- The defendant breached that duty by their negligence
- Due to this breach, the victim suffered an injury
- The injury resulted in damages that can be compensated
Meeting this burden of proof requires that your lawyers conduct a thorough investigation and collect evidence such as medical records, photo and video evidence, statements of other caregivers, and expert witness statements.
Help With Filing a Pressure Sore Injury Lawsuit in Palm Beach County and Throughout Florida
Pressure sores are incredibly painful and can take months or years to heal. If a loved one has had to suffer bedsores due to the negligence of care facilities, it’s time to get them justice and compensation to help with medical bills and future treatment costs.
The medical malpractice law experts of Domnick, Cunningham, & Yaffa are here to help you file negligence claims, arbitrate settlements, or try your case in court, depending on the circumstances.
We’ll review your case for free and determine the best course of action. Contact us to get your free case evaluation today.