Read an article published in our October '99 newsletter about nursing home neglect and abuse. A second article was published in our December '99 newsletter about nursing home neglect and abuse. Steps to take to eliminate this kind of injury include frequent turning of the patient and higher quality mattresses with overlays. 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.