When you arrange for your loved one to stay in a nursing home in New Mexico, you expect them to receive the best care, as promised. However, the staff members at nursing homes sometimes neglect their legal duty to provide the basic care that the elderly require, causing serious complications like bedsores. Here’s a deeper look into bedsores and your best course of action if your loved one happens to be a victim.
What are bedsores?
As the name suggests, bedsores come about when someone lies on their bed the whole day. The skin will start to develop wounds because if you lie in one position for a long period of time, you’ll be putting too much pressure at certain points of your body. Moreover, the skin will lose blood flow and eventually start decaying, causing septic shock that can even lead to death.
The elderly are very vulnerable to bedsores, and they can start to develop them within two to three hours of lying in the same position. It’s no surprise that these injuries are common in New Mexico because of nursing home negligence and understaffing. If a few people are tasked with providing reasonable care to everyone, it could be challenging for them to do what the law expects of them. Common causes of bedsores include the following:
• The skin moving away from the bone
• Pressure at a particular point for a long period of time
• Friction between the skin and the sheets or whichever surface they are lying or sitting on
• Malnutrition and dehydration
Can you sue for bedsores in New Mexico?
In New Mexico, if a nursing home fails to provide the expected care for its residents, the court will see it as neglect. It doesn’t matter where it is intentional or not. The law expects these facilities to provide reasonable care, so if your loved one is a victim, you may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit against the nursing home.
Be keen to watch your loved ones during every visit and ask them questions about how they are receiving treatment and care. Sometimes, you can miss the signs of neglect, which can eventually result in serious problems.
