One of the biggest misconceptions about nursing homes is that bedsores are commonplace. In reality, bedsores are preventable and are a sign that there is some level of negligence going on at a nursing home. If your elderly parent developed a bedsore while living in a nursing home, here is what you need to know.
Why Would a Bedsore Be Considered a Sign of Negligence?
There are state and federal regulations that dictate every aspect of care that residents receive in a nursing home. Part of those regulations focus on identifying residents who are at risk of developing bedsores and implementing a plan to prevent it from occurring. If a bedsore does develop, it could potentially mean that the nursing home failed to follow the state and federal regulations.
Once a bedsore develops, it can be helped with mild treatment, as long as it is detected early. If a nursing home fails to detect and treat the bedsore in the earliest stage, this could be further proof of the staff's negligence of a resident.
At this point, your parent has the right to file a lawsuit against the nursing home and could potentially claim medical malpractice if any medical care providers did not provide the treatment necessary to prevent the bedsore from worsening.
What Can You Do?
The most important step you can take is to get treatment for your parent. If the nursing home staff has not contacted a medical care provider to provide care, insist on contacting one. It is important that you also meet with the provider so that you can ensure that he or she documents the injury accurately.
In addition to that, you need to file a claim with the state's ombudsman for nursing homes. He or she can help with the interactions between you and the nursing home. The ombudsman can also be crucial in the investigations regarding the care provided by the nursing home staff.
You should also consult with an attorney experienced in nursing home abuse. He or she will know the state and federal regulations and can help you determine exactly how the nursing home staff failed to follow them.
The attorney can also help with collecting evidence for your case and filing the claim with the nursing home's insurance provider. If other parties, such as a medical care provider, are also liable, the attorney can also take legal action against the party.
For more information, you will want to contact a firm such as Reed Law.
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