Philadelphia Bed Sores Lawyer

Our experienced team of nursing home lawyers see more incidents involving bedsores than almost any other type of nursing home negligence. If you believe you or a loved one has developed bed sore injuries due to the negligence of a caretaker or nursing home, contact us to schedule a free consultation. Our Philadelphia bed sore lawyers can be reached online or by calling (215) 569-0200 today.

Why Choose Rosenbaum & Associates?

A Philadelphia bed sores attorney at our firm has had great success in showing that these ulcers were caused by the nursing home failing to follow their own procedures and guidelines. Sometimes a care plan is never developed to ensure the nursing staff follows the correct procedure. The need for bedsore prevention is obvious, yet thousands of residents suffer needlessly.  

That is why our team of Philadelphia nursing home neglect and abuse lawyers is committed to holding Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing homes accountable for their care. There is typically no justification for a patient at a nursing home to develop a late stage bedsore. When this happens, please contact one of our lawyers for assistance. We will vigorously fight for the resident’s rights and demand that the nursing homes provide the care their patients need.

What Are Bed Sores?

Bed sores occur when someone with limited mobility is left in the same position for too long. Blood flow to the affected area gets cut off and the surrounding tissue starts to die. This typically takes place in bony areas of the body. Bedsores are also referred to as decubitus ulcers or pressure sores. Unfortunately, these are too common in nursing homes. Nursing home residents are more vulnerable than someone who is healthy and fit. If a person is physically fit and were to lay in bed for an extended time, they would not usually get a bedsore because they could change position when they are not comfortable. Often nursing home residents are limited to their bed or are wheelchair-bound and need assistance to change their positions. 

Bedsores are usually easy to prevent. In well-run nursing homes in Philadelphia, the staff regularly moves or turns the resident. If a bedsore starts to form, it is critical to start treatment early, before it progresses to a more severe stage. If untreated the sore can rapidly become bigger and deeper and lead to other health risks. Often deep ulcers will become infected and can lead to sepsis and ultimately, a wrongful death. When bedsores reach stage 4, the final stage, they look like large blisters, and the dead tissue reaches down to the muscle or bone. At this late stage the resident will need hospital care to surgically remove the dead tissue and to clean out any infection. Bedsores can be particularly painful if untreated, which then usually leads to additional medication that can impair the patient’s cognitive function.

How Are Bed Sores Caused in Nursing Homes?

Often bedsores develop because the nursing home failed to provide essential care and ignored the resident’s needs. Sometimes the nursing homes are understaffed and do not have the personnel to meet their obligations to move the patient regularly. In addition to not turning the patient, other care factors can contribute to ulcers. Nutrition and hygiene play an important role in keeping the skin healthy and preventing sores. If the body is not nourished, or becomes dehydrated, the skin will start to break down. Also poor hygiene will promote bedsores, particularly the failure to change soiled undergarments.

It is important to treat these sores promptly. The longer the sore persists, the larger it will grow and the more difficult to treat. As the skin continues to break down, infection is likely to set in, which further compromises the body’s ability to heal itself. Once the bedsore reaches the final stages they do not often heal and the resident spends the remainder of their life in discomfort and pain.

Due to the prevalence of bedsores, federal law requires a nursing homes facility to create a preventative plan. Pennsylvania also has extensive regulations regarding the treatment and care of nursing home residents.

Who Can Be Held Liable for Bed Sore Injuries?

If a bedsore injury is the result of neglectful or negligent actions, the victim and their families have the right to file a lawsuit against the nursing home, staff members, and any other responsible party. When you place a loved one in the care of a nursing home, you are entrusting them to provide a certain level of care. This includes delivering the attention and taking the action necessary to prevent excruciating bed sores.

These cases often revolve around claims of negligence, a legal theory that the person suing (plaintiff) has to demonstrate. Proving negligence requires evidence that the nursing home being sued owed the victim what is called a “duty of care,” that the defendant (at-fault party) failed to meet this duty, and that the breach of the duty caused the plaintiff to suffer injuries and incur damages.

Incidents of negligence that commonly prompt bed sore injury claims, include:

• Failure to prevent or treat bed sores.
• Failure to adhere to a plan to prevent or treat bed sores.
• Medical neglect, such as failing to provide medication or preventing regular visits to their doctor.
• Failure to provide daily necessities, such as food, water, personal hygiene, and clean living conditions.
• Negligent hiring or training of nursing home or hospital staff.
• Nursing home or hospital failure to properly monitor staff.
• Forcing unreasonable or dangerous physical restraints.
• Intentional abuse.

In some cases, multiple parties may be individually or vicariously liable. Vicarious liability is a form of secondary or indirect liability imposed when parties have a particular relationship, such as a nursing home being held responsible for the actions of a staff member.

Why You Need a Bed Sores Lawyer

You may be convinced that your loved one did not receive adequate attention at a nursing home facility, but you will need strong evidence of negligence for a successful claim. By working with a bed sores lawyer, they have the resources to start investigating the issue immediately and developing a strong case. Depending on the circumstances of your case, an attorney can help you gather specific kinds of evidence, which may include:

• Documents detailing the facility’s hiring and training practices;
• Records demonstrating the facility is consistently understaffed;
• Statements from other residents who were also victims of neglect, as well as their family members;
• The victim’s medical records; and
• Security footage and/or keycard data demonstrating that the victim did not receive adequate attention.

A bed sores lawyer will also be helpful for a myriad of other reasons, including knowing to whom the neglect or abuse should be reported to, how to bring a civil claim, filing deadlines, and all of the legal regulations surrounding it. Nursing homes typically have insurance companies who hire teams of attorneys to minimize or deny their liability. With the emotional support and advocacy of a skilled lawyer, your chances of obtaining the compensation you and your family deserve are significantly higher.

Contact Our Philadelphia Bed Sores Attorneys

With offices in greater Philadelphia and surrounding areas, Rosenbaum & Associates’ Philadelphia injury lawyers represent clients throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey who have suffered from bedsores and other injuries due to nursing home neglect. We offer free consultations, so you can tell us about your loved one’s care and learn about your rights at no risk. Call an experienced Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyer at (215) 569-0200 or contact us online for a free case evaluation.