Pressure Injuries in Nursing Homes: Most Bedsores Are Preventable

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect: Pressure Injuries Are Not “Just Part of Getting Old”

Across the United States, about 11% of nursing home residents have a pressure ulcer at any given time, and studies have found prevalence in facilities ranging from roughly 7% to 23% of residents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other national studies, most of these wounds should not happen when basic prevention is done correctly.

When a loved one goes into a nursing home, you trust the facility to keep them safe, clean, and comfortable. Pressure injuries—also called pressure sores or bedsores—are one of the clearest warning signs that this trust has been broken.

In the vast majority of cases, these wounds are not an inevitable part of aging. They are usually preventable injuries that develop when basic nursing care is missed over and over again.

What Is a Pressure Injury?

A pressure injury is damage to the skin and underlying tissue caused by staying in one position too long.

These wounds most often form over bony areas of the body where there is little padding, such as:

• Tailbone and buttocks
• Heels and ankles
• Hips
• Spine and shoulder blades
• Back of the head

At first, a pressure injury may look like a small red area that does not fade when you press on it. Left untreated, it can open, become a deep crater, expose muscle or bone, and lead to serious infection, sepsis, or death.

Why Pressure Injuries Are Usually a Sign of Neglect

Well-run nursing homes have systems in place to prevent pressure injuries. When a resident develops a Stage 3 or Stage 4 wound, it often means those systems failed.

Common facility failures include:

• Not turning and repositioning residents on a schedule
• Not using pressure-relieving mattresses or cushions for high‑risk residents
• Allowing residents to sit or lie in wet or soiled linens
• Failing to provide enough food and fluids for skin health
• Rushing or skipping regular skin checks because of understaffing

Federal regulations require nursing homes to make sure residents do not develop pressure ulcers unless they are “clinically unavoidable” and, if an ulcer appears, to give all necessary care to promote healing and prevent infection. When you see a severe pressure wound, it is often because those duties were ignored or delayed.

“Avoidable” vs. “Unavoidable” Pressure Injuries

Facilities and their experts often claim that a resident’s wound was “unavoidable” because of age or medical problems. The law and wound‑care standards set a much higher bar for that defense.

To call a pressure injury unavoidable, the nursing home must be able to show that it:

• Thoroughly assessed the resident’s risk
• Put appropriate interventions in place based on that risk
• Consistently carried out those interventions
• Monitored the wound and changed the plan when it was not working

If any of those steps were skipped, inconsistent, or poorly documented, the injury is generally considered avoidable and a sign of neglect.

Warning Signs Families Should Watch For

If you visit a loved one in a nursing home, pay attention to these red flags:

• Red, dark, or broken skin over bony areas
• Complaints of pain or burning in areas you cannot easily see
• Strong odors from the bed or bandages
• Soiled sheets, dry lips, or signs of dehydration
• Staff who seem rushed, overwhelmed, or unfamiliar with your loved one’s care plan

If you suspect a pressure injury, ask the staff specific questions: Where is the wound? What stage is it? What is the treatment plan? How often is my family member being turned, cleaned, and checked?

How a Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer Can Help

A serious pressure injury can mean months of pain, surgery, infection, or even loss of life. It also raises hard questions about what really happened behind the scenes at the facility.

At the Law Office of Matthew A. Lathrop we can:

• Obtain and analyze the medical and facility records
• Compare the care provided to federal guidelines and wound‑care standards
• Work with wound‑care, nursing, and medical experts to evaluate what went wrong
• Hold the facility accountable and pursue compensation for the harm done

If your loved one developed a pressure injury in a Nebraska nursing home, you do not have to sort through this alone.

The Law Office of Matthew A. Lathrop is experienced in handling nursing home abuse and neglect claims and offers free consultations to review what happened, answer your questions, and explain your options.