The areas of the body that are most prone to developing pressure sores are the heels, the backs of knees, the buttocks, and other bony parts of the body. Pressure sores begin as a red sore on the skin. Left untreated, the sore breaks the skin. As the sore worsens, the wound becomes very deep. In the final stage, which is often followed by amputation or death, the wound becomes so deep it often goes to the bone and becomes infected.
Falls are another problem for the elderly in nursing homes.
Many times the patients are not properly strapped into wheel chairs and fall or slip out. In other cases, patients are left in their beds without the rails up. Unattended, these patients fall and receive head injuries and broken bones when they try to get out of bed. Malnutrition and dehydration are clear signs of neglect. The worst part about this type of this neglect is that it slows down healing and can worsen existing health problems.