Bed sores can arise due to a lack of movement when someone has spent too much time in the same position. If you spot them on your elderly loved one, and they are in a nursing home, you may need to consider switching facilities.
Here is why:
You are paying someone to take care of your family member
That is the job of a residential care facility. They take care of someone around the clock. Bed sores are nothing new, and they are easily avoided by ensuring a resident gets sufficient activity.
If someone cannot get out of bed unaided, then the nursing home staff needs to assist them. The bed sores could indicate that they are not helping them frequently enough.
Neglect is a form of abuse
Activity is crucial to physical health and mental health. The care home staff and management know that, so failing to do it amounts to treating the resident with cruelty which is the definition of abuse.
If you spot the beginnings of bed sores, try to find out answers to the following questions:
- How often is your parent helped out of bed.?
- How much daily activity do they get?
- How often are they bathed (or helped to bathe)?
You may be able to rectify the situation by bringing it to the care home management’s attention (not that you should need to). However, if the situation is clearly not new, you may need to pursue legal options to get compensation for your parent for the harm already done.