Bed sores: a nursing home danger

Choosing a nursing home for a beloved family member or friend can take extensive time, consideration and patience. This life chapter can also take an emotional toll on everyone involved. When an Illinois family finally selects the place of residence fit for a patient’s needs, one might assume they can place worries aside.

Although nursing homes are safe spaces for those in need, incidents have still been known to happen. One common problem residents experience at nursing care facilities involves bed sores. It can be easy to overlook these sores, but they can have lasting effects on a patient. The below information examines bed sores, and also provides discussion on the factors that could lead up to this painful medical problem.

Bed Sores Defined

Harvard Medical School explains that bed sores (also known as pressure ulcers) are places of broken skin on the body that can develop over time. Typically, those who are confined to a bed for long periods of time and those who use a wheelchair are the most vulnerable. Forming when the weight of a person’s body makes continual contact with the surface of a bed, bed sores need little pressure to cut off the skin’s blood supply. Over time, this condition can lead to more serious injuries. 

Factors at Play

Wound Source provides further insight into this painful condition that so many nursing home patients experience. Not only does limited mobility increase one’s chances of developing bed sores; some studies show that a poor diet can also play a role in this problem. The surface on which the patient consistently rests can invite bed sores; WS stresses the importance of rotating and changing positions on a regular basis. Age can have another hand in the severity of one’s pressure ulcers. While they may seem benign when compared to other health issues, bed sores can become serious and often require special attention and care.