Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect: 6 Warning Signs You Should Know (Pt. 3)

Here is the conclusion to our three-part blog Nursing Home Abuse & Neglect: 6 Warning Signs You Should Know.

Additional Signs of Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect

5. Bed Sores

Bed sores, which can also be referred to as pressure sores or pressure ulcers, are skin injuries that develop when an excessive amount of pressure is placed on a specific area of the body (particularly at a joint) for extended periods of time. As such, these wounds tend to develop at the ankles, knees, hips, elbows and shoulders (though they can develop anywhere). Common symptoms of bed sores can include (but are not limited to):

• Skin redness and/or tenderness
• Depressions on the skin
• Blisters (which may or may not be ruptured)
• Yellowed or dead skin surrounding wounds.

When bed sores develop on nursing home residents, this can be an indication that a facility’s staff members are neglecting residents. Tragically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that:

• About 11 percent of nursing home residents in the U.S. are living with bed sores at any given time.
• More than half of all cases of bed sores in nursing home residents are stage 2 cases (which are moderately serious).
• About 35 percent of these individuals require special medical treatment to recover.

6. Dehydration

Another common indication that nursing home residents are likely being neglected by staff is dehydration, the substantial loss of fluids from people’s systems. Symptoms of dehydration can include:

• Dry lips and skin (including a loss of elasticity in the skin)
• Sunken eyes
• Extreme thirst
• Irritability and/or confusion
• Constipation
• Headaches
• Lightheadedness and/or dizziness
• Decreased urination.

It’s important to note here that, in some cases, dehydration may be a symptom of some other underlying condition; therefore, when people notice symptoms of dehydration in their loved ones, they should talk to nursing home staff to figure out if staff know what’s going on with their loved one’s health and/or may be neglecting their loved ones.

Littleton, Colorado Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers at Bahr and Kreidle

If you believe that your loved one may have been victimized by any type of nursing home neglect or abuse, contact the Littleton nursing home abuse attorneys at Bahr and Kreidle. Since 1983, we have been fighting on behalf of injured people and aggressively standing up against injustice, inequality and intolerance.

At every stage of a case, our attorneys are dedicated to providing our clients with exceptional personal service and the highest quality legal representation. This means that our clients can always count on us to be available to answer their questions, to fiercely defend their rights and to be tenacious about getting them the justice and compensation they deserve.

Let’s Discuss Your Case – Contact Us for a Free Consult

To get more information about your potential case and rights, call us at (303) 794-7422 or email us using the contact form on this page.

From our law offices in Littleton, we represent clients throughout Colorado, including in the Denver Metro Area, Arapahoe County, Adams County, Jefferson County and the cities of Lakewood, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Castle Rock, Westminster, Centennial and Aurora.