Many people come to Florida later in life to retire. However, many of these retirees will eventually need to transition into a nursing home or other 24-hour care center, and we have many of these of these facilities here.
The problem is some of the facility owners see things a bit differently than us when it comes to their patients. Families see a facility that is designed to allow their loved one to live in peace and with a sense of well-deserved dignity, while also providing them access to much needed around-the-clock professional medical care. On the other hand, as our Orlando nursing home liability attorneys can explain, some nursing homes see patients as money. Every bed that is filled with a resident is potentially making money for the facility, and empty beds represent a loss. While this might seem over-simplified, many of these nursing homes are there to turn a profit and will do whatever they can to make as much money as possible. This means having as many patients as the law will allow, or more as is sometimes the case, and spending as little on overhead as possible. This is where we end up with a poorly trained staff and a high turnover rate. This results in falling below the standard of care for a nursing home, and this, in turn, results in significant personal injury for the residents. One of the major injuries suffered by nursing home personnel is a condition known as skin breakdown that occurs when person is in bed all the time, and staff does not create and follow a skin breakdown risk assessment plan.
A recent article from the Florida Record contains yet another example of a case filed for negligence of nursing home staff that resulted a serious case of skin breakdown. In this case, plaintiff has alleged defendant nursing home management failed to properly assess her risk for suffering a skin breakdown and did not enact a proper treatment plan. As a result of this negligence by employees of the nursing home, plaintiff suffered a stage four skin breakdown.
It should be noted that this nursing home is defending the court action that has been filed and has denied any and all liability in connection with this matter.
Skin breakdown is a common injury suffered mainly as a result of nursing home negligence in elderly residents. It is also known as a pressure sore and is classified based upon stages. Stage one involves sores that are still closed. This is still a very painful condition, but the skin is not yet cracked or broken. When the skin first breaks down and breaks open, we are looking at a stage two skin breakdown. This often involves blisters and should be easy to detect for a properly trained nursing home employee. Stage three involves the formation of an ulcer, and stage four involves a deep wound that affects muscle or bone.
Call Freeman Injury Law — 1-800-561-7777 for a free appointment to discuss your rights. Now serving Orlando, West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie and Fort Lauderdale.
Additional Resources:
Tarpon Springs resident alleges it failed to properly train employees, May 25, 2017, By Noddy A. Fernandez, Florida and Record
More Blog Entries:
Concussions, Brain Injuries From Falls in Nursing Homes Occurring at “Unprecedented” Rates, April 25, 2017, Nursing Home Fall Attorney Blog