The family of Annie Lou Jefferson is pursuing Palm Beach County nursing home negligence damages against the Hamlin Place Rehabilitation Center. Jefferson, who died four years ago, developed multiple bedsores while staying at the Boynton Beach assisted living facility.
Her daughter, Maxine Chavis, blames nursing staff for not treating the decubitus ulcers. She is alleging Boynton Beach nursing home neglect.
It wasn’t until Jefferson became unresponsive and was taken to a hospital that a nurse there discovered the bedsores, some of which were open wounds that were as large as grapefruits. Chavis says that her mother also had a huge bedsore on her head.
Jefferson died four years ago. Chavis says her mother didn’t like staying at the South Florida assisted living facility. She believes that Jefferson’s bedsores resulted in health complications that led to her death.
Bedsores
Bedsores can lead to serious health complications. Also known as decubitus ulcers and pressure sores, most bedsores are preventable, as long as proper nursing care is provided. Palm Beach County nursing home neglect can cause bedsores to develop.
Stage 1:
Reddish/purplish/purplish coloring on the skin. The skin is still intact.
Stage 2:
An open wound with some damage to the dermis. A pressure sore at this stage may also look like a blister.
Stage 3:
A deep wound that may appear crater like. Skin loss exposes some fat. There may be dead tissue.
Stage 4:
The wound may deep enough that bone, muscle, and tendons may be visible. There is major damage to the skin.
Pressure sores are often found on the buttocks, tailbone, spine, the backs of the legs, arms, ears, or head, shoulder blades, hips, lower back, ankles, heels, the back of the knees, or other parts of the patient’s body that don’t get much circulation or movement.
Nursing home workers know what to do to prevent bedsores from happening. When failure to immediately treat early signs of pressure sores causes the patient’s condition to worsen, the assisted living facility can be held liable for Boynton Beach nursing home neglect.
Family sues Boynton nursing home after finding multiple bed sores on loved one, WPTV, September 13, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Bedsores, MayoClinic
Treating Pressure Sores, NCBI
More Blog Posts:
Miami Nursing Negligence Lawsuit Accuses Home Care Nurse of Sexually Assaulting Paraplegic Patient, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, September 22, 2011
Miami Herald Reports: Florida Nursing Home Neglect Taking Place at a Number of Assisted Living Facilities, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, May 25, 2011
Bills Seeks to Cap Florida Nursing Home Negligence Damages Over Wrongful Deaths, April 20, 2011