Bedsores naturally occur when a person remains immobile for an extended period of time.
This is often seen in hospitals and nursing homes, as many of the residents or patients do not have the capability to shift around and move often enough to prevent bedsores from forming.
Prevention of bedsores
Mayo Clinic takes a look at bedsores and their causes. In order to prevent bedsores, nursing staff should visit the patient’s bedside once every two hours and move them into a different position. This keeps their blood circulation in a decent state and allows for the risk of bedsores to drop significantly.
Of course, even in a scenario with the most attentive care, it is still possible for some injury to occur. However, bedsores will form more often in situations that could indicate neglect.
Nursing homes and hospitals without enough staff may not rotate and move immobile patients as often as they should. This can lead to an increase in the number or severity of bedsores that a person suffers from.
The issues with neglect
Neglect in this way may potentially reflect larger forms of neglect and bigger problems, like accidental medication mix-ups or forgetting to give all residents their meals. Though neglect often lacks malicious intention, it can still lead to potentially life-threatening situations. It also leads to a lower quality of life for the residents.
Thus, if a person notices an increase in bedsores or a worsening in their severity, they have a right to look into the situation further and see if neglect on the part of the staff is at fault.
