My aunt is in a special care hospital. She has terrible bed sores. Could they have been prevented?

Question

The bed sores she has are very pussy. One on one of her feet looks like it is an inch deep and almost looks like gangrene. She cannot move on her own and has to be turned every few hours. Someone at the hostpital she does not have good circulation in the areas where the bed sores are but I feel that the hospital is not doing enough to prevent the bed sores. My aunt does have a compomised immune system. Can really bad bed sores be avoided for someone in my aunt's condition or are the bed sores inexcusible? You probably don't get many questions like these but I really feel that I need expert advice.

Answer 1

Some times, if the person is not turned regularly, they may get bed sores.Or if they are not being taken care of as they should.

Answer 2

Bed sores are preventable to a point each person is different depending on their circumstance. If you aunt can still get around even if it is with help they are more preventable than someone who is bedridden. She must be turned ever 2 hours tops. Bed sores on the feet do concern me though if she is laying down unless it is on the sides or heel depending on how you lay. There are procedures that should be followed by the nursing staff to prevent this and clear them up quickly. I would watch her carefully and see if she improves or worsens. Another option is to have a different bed brought in. Some hospitals and nursing homes have a special bed for patients unable to get around. They have a water bed feel to them and the cover is like a waterbeds would be but it is filled with sand. They are more comfortable for the patients and I have heard good thing about them. You might want to look into that also. One other thing I would do is to research the hospital and see if it is the best one for her. See how many lawsuits or complaints there are against them and for what reasons talk to other patients and families who have loved ones in the facility to see how they feel about the staff and the hospital all together. Hope this helps at least a little.

Answer 3

I worked in a nursing home for 8 years and yes you can definately prevent bed sores by moving your patients every couple of hours however with the shortage on nursing care like when I was doing nursing I always had around 23 patients and could never get to all my patients at the time I needed to so this is a huge problem with the Nursing homes, hospitals and other medical services. I can remember not being able to answer call lights for about 1/2 an hour sometimes. SHORTAGE of staff is ruining our elderly care.

Answer 4

For a compromised patient, it doesn't take long to get a decubitus (bed sore). HOWEVER, your aunt's facility should have enough staff around to turn her and relieve the pressure every 2 hours, MAX...especially when they know she's compromised. The know techniques about turning and proping up areas such as heels to prevent this. They also have schedules that should be posted at the head of the bed which indicate when/who turned her last. Go to the administrator about this problem and if you don't get help, go to the appointed ombudsman for that facility (that's eldercare). Don't be afraid to insist that they keep to the schedule. Of course she doesn't have good circulation; that's because they're not moving her and that's what causes the decubitus. The bones press on the skin/nerves and they starve the area of the skin of blood/oxygen and it dies. You can also ask for an air mattress that keeps the air circulating around the wounds to help them heal. Don't let them stick you with an "eggcrate" mattress. You'll get better care for her if you start watching and complaining. I've worked in enough of these places to know that when families get involved, the patients get better care. Godloveya for your concern for your aunt.

Answer 5

Yes, with proper care and treatment they are 100% preventable!! For bedsores on the feet they have booties that go over the heel made of lamb's wool. You can also prop the feet up on a soft pillow so they are not constantly resting on a hard mattress. Even with poor circulation there are leg massages they can do a couple of times a day to help with that in order to hinder bedsores on the feet. You are also supposed to roll a person every 2 hours.
Obviously if you can tell how deep it is, they aren't actively treating the sore. Once it gets that big and deep it needs to be packed with medicated strips of gauze. They should've started using butt paste on the sore when it first started. If her foot is this bad it would make me wonder what her butt and back looks like!
If it has had gangrene she is at risk at having to have an amputation. I personally would start throwing myself a fit! Nursing homes get sued for neglect for this kind of lack of treatment all the time!!
Good Luck!

Answer 6

Most states have requirements/regulations as to how often bedturning should be done. Bedsores are the combined result of a compromised circulatory system as well as being in one spot or position for too long.
This type of training is given to all nurses, even down to the basic level CNA (certified nursing assistant) that works at places such as elderly care centers.
It is also taught that one should look for signs of bedsores, among other things, REGULARLY and report such occurrences to superiors right away to prevent further issues and amend the care needed for that patient.
It is possible that the condition of your aunt is such which makes this more of a regular occurrence. People with diabetes risk foot problems that can develop and look alot like gangrene, for example. You can always ask a doctor that is not specifically HER doctor to get an unbiased opinion.
If she is capable of conveying to you how often she is turned, and if her other daily personal care is being met, this may give you clues as to whether the hospital is being negligent or not....

For instance, it is commonplace that each patient (if they are not able to do this on their own) should daily have their teeth brushed in the morning & again at night. Hair combed/brushed in the morning. Assistance with feeding if necessary, perianal cleaning and personal hygene done for them several times daily when being changed. Nurse should daily check for any worsening of any symptoms upon these rounds. (These items apply more to long term assisted living situations or elderly homes.) If some of these simple daily tasks are not being met, there may be reason to question the quality of care being given to her.

Now, some hospitals or care facilities have such a high rate of employee turnover that patients often won't have the same caregiver day after day...and this makes it more difficult for a nurse or caregiver to be familiar with the conditions of that patient and report them on an ongoing basis.

For the most part, a person should be turned no less than every 4 hrs if not more frequently to avoid further circulatory problems and worsening of bedsores.

Again, health care agencies are state or county regulated. See what you can do about finding out the requirements set forth by your state for health care maintence such as your aunt's.

Answer 7

This is called abuse!!! people only get bed sores when they are not taken care of properly.your aunt she be turned every 2 hours and pillows should be placed under her so that skin deterioration does not happen, your aunt is not being taken care of properly,go and see administration and make sure your family is in visiting your aunt often, when family members visit often they get better care,,,believe me i work in the health care field and it happens all the time, you can see the difference in patient care when there is constant family visiting.Remember this is abuse ask any nurse and you can even contact the college of nurses where they will tell you the same thing, do not sit back and do nothing about this because if it's happening to your aunt it's happening to others.There is no excuse for your aunt to have bed sores especially if they are deep, also speak to the doctor.Some nurses need to be reminded that even though they are old they are still alive and someones family member, there is no excuse for this at all!!

Answer 8

Its very common for elderly people in nursing homes to get bed sores. Its from poor circulation and them not being turned as often as they should. Maybe you should change homes if possible...I have seen many law suits due to neglect in nursing homes and bed sores can be a serious problem especially because most elderly patients dont have strong immune systems.

Answer 9

YES THIS IS TOTALLY INEXCUSABLE!!

The nursing staff should be turning her on a more regular basis, and using antipressure pads on the areas where she is more prone to sores. You can get air matresses that are inflated on top of normal matressess which should always be used on the immobile patient as a preventative measure.
The fact that they are looking black and ganbgrenous says to me that the the staff arent treating the sores properly.
Does your aunt have diabetes? The sores may be as a result of diabetes rather than bedsores

Answer 10

Sometimes they can be prevented. But when people have poor circulation is can be difficult to prevent/treat properly. You might inquire about getting a special bed for her to assist in decreasing pressure to her bony regions when they are more prone to occur. Also, if you have someone stay with her one day, have them document how often they are turning her, make sure it is every 2 hrs. There are special creams that can be used to assist in healing of the sores. It's hard to say exactly who is at fault without knowing your aunt.

Answer 11

i'm in the medical field and that i will permit you realize that your sister is making it confusing on your father to get the finished care that he desires. whilst any family individuals member is confrontational, the staff avoids that affected person and that distinctive room different than to furnish the hassle-free, mandatory cares. One month in a mattress grants absolutely everyone bedsores, no rely what age. Hospitals take care of those very aggressively and he in all hazard has a wound care expert nurse who differences the dressings every day. He in all hazard is likewise on an alternating air mattress that may help. If somebody is threatening courtroom circumstances, this would be a purple flag to all team who do no longer choose to bypass into your father's room and you're able to the two do away with your sister from this occasion or flow your father to a distinctive wellbeing middle. As for the respiratory subject, eliminating the tube and then having to re-insert it particularly is amazingly person-friendly for absolutely everyone who has been on a ventilator for a while. The edema and erosion of the throat takes an prolonged time to heal and for this reason he can not swallow. Oral care with swabs is proper and the two you and your mom can do this for him if team isn't obtainable or won't. He would beg for water yet, until eventually you decide on him to choke to dying, he can not have this until eventually his airway is extra healed - merely furnish a swab back. Courtesy, thank-you's and asking questions in a well mannered way gets you an prolonged way as far as care is going and compliments to a particular nurse who does a solid job would make her choose to take your father as a affected person back quite than each and every physique scuffling with approximately who has to take him right this moment for their project. you additionally can request a care convention along with his medical doctors, nurses and care coordinator and voice your concerns approximately your father's care or perceived loss of. i've got confidence your sister is the reason of a large variety of the themes that are happening impressive now yet it particularly is often mitigated by person-friendly courtesy and a care convention.