Nursing Homes and Bed Sores
Bed sores are not inevitable. They don’t have to develop. They are preventable in a very large number of cases. When nursing home residents are properly cared for, pressure sores should be rare. However, we see pressure sores in residents who come to us for help all too often. Reports tell us that 17 to 28 percent of nursing home patients develop pressure sores. The percentage increases dramatically in nursing home residents over the age of 70. It has also been reported that if a resident has developed bed sores in the past, they have a 90 percent chance of developing another one in the future.
Decubitus ulcers, also known as pressure sores or bed sores, don’t immediately sound too horrible when compared to the plethora of other maladies that nursing home patients usually have to cope with. But in reality, bed sores can be fatal. It doesn’t have to be that way. Proper care can prevent pressure sores.
Bed sores develop in patients who are bound to a bed or a wheelchair and are caused by any combination of constant pressure, rubbing, and dampness and can even be aggravated by the medications they are taking. Ulcers are typically analyzed in grades depending on severity, with Grade 1 being an early stage sore and Grade 4 being the highest and most dangerous type of ulcer.
Grade 1 ulcers start out as a discoloration of the skin and include a variety of different colors depending on the patient’s skin tone. They can be pink, red, blue, purple or black. Grade 2 sores show the beginning of skin loss and affect the upper most layer of the skin. Grade 3 sores begin the process of cells dying and include all layers of the skin. Grade 4 ulcers include death of all skin layers and also affect the underlying structures beneath the ulcer including tendons, joints, bones and internal organs.
If left untreated these sores can lead to deficiency of red blood cells (anemia); infection and inflammation of membranes and fluid that surround the brain and spinal cord (meningitis); abscesses; inflammation of the bone (osteomyelitis); inflammation of the body tissue causing swelling and redness (cellulitis); blood poisoning (septicemia); and even maggot infestation in the most disturbing cases.
Patients who are confined to bed and wheelchairs typically are physically or mentally disabled and are unable to change position when they start feeling uncomfortable. Leading experts have recommended that to prevent a bed sore, nursing home residents simply need to be turned every two hours which takes the pressure off vulnerable areas. Also, pillows and soft buffers should be used between the bed and the skin; good hygiene should be enforced; a healthy diet should be provided; the skin should be kept at the right moisture level; the skin should be kept supple with moisturizers to prevent dryness; and if they are capable of movement, patients should be encourage to participate in activities that promote circulation.
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