Elderly Abuse in Nursing
Homes Injuries
There are many different types of suffering and injuries
a nursing home resident may endure as a result of elderly
abuse in nursing homes. Some more common and obvious elderly
abuse injuries are malnutrition/dehydration,
bedsores (also known as decubitus
ulcers and can lead to sepsis), and broken
hips.
Malnutrition and Dehydration
A bad case of malnutrition or dehydration can result in an
organ failure and possibly even death. Not getting enough
food, malnutrition, or water, dehydration, slows down healing,
worsens existing health problems, and leaves the nursing home
resident and elderly abuse victim feeling fatigued. Since
some nursing home residents have certain conditions that require
special dietary measures, malnutrition and dehydration can
leave a resident in a diminished state of existence. When
a nursing home has been designated to care for an individual
it is their responsibility to provide the nursing home resident
with the proper meals to meet every individual’s dietary
requirements.
Bed Sores and Sepsis
Bedsores affect an estimated more than 1 million Americans.
Bed sores result when prolonged pressure to a certain area
is present due to bed confinement. Bedsores are a very serious
and frequent occurrence in patients that are immobile and
debilitated. Although bedsores can occur on an area of the
body, usually bedsores are found on the hips, buttocks, heels,
or back because of the increased weight of the nursing home
resident on those areas. When friction, pressure, moisture,
and a low blood supply causes the tissue to die, the bed sore
can progress from erosion to underlying deep skin, muscle,
and bone if left untreated.
There are various stages a bedsore can progress from. Stage
one of a bed sore still has the skin unbroken, but it is characterized
by surface reddening. The progression from stage one to stage
two is characterized by a blister that is either broken or
unbroken. When the wound continues through all the layers
of the skin, this opens up the bedsore to a serious infection.
Bedsores in stage four are when the wound has gone through
the skin and is now involving the underlying muscle, tendons,
and bone.
Bedsores that become very sever can lead to sepsis. Sepsis
is a serious, severe illness caused by infection of the bloodstream.
The illness results from the toxins that are produced by bacteria
and the body’s response to the toxins. Amputation may
be required when sepsis occurs, but in some instances sepsis
will not respond to amputation. Nursing home residents can
die from sepsis, especially in elders that have inefficient
immune systems or blood disorders. Every year there are more
than 17,000 lawsuits related to bedsores alone, awarding compensations
as high as 4 million dollars.
Bedsores and sepsis can become a very serious and life threatening
condition amongst nursing home residents if not properly cared
and treated for.
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Broken Hips
Broken hips are a common occurrence amongst elders because
of the contributing factors or age, nutrition, physical and
mental impairments, and medications. When a hip breaks, it
breaks right below the hip joint in the thighbone. Although
a broken hip can occur on accident, when nursing home facilities
fail to properly care for their nursing home residents, the
likelihood of broken hips increases.
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