Posted: June 11, 2012
It will be no surprise if nursing home abuse , neglect, or injury increases in Cincinnati and other Ohio cities. Nearly 3,000 nursing home jobs have already been lost in Ohio due to the squeeze created by an 11.1% reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates .
Senior news reported that States such as Ohio where state Medicaid funding for nursing homes has already been reduced - are clealy experiencing significant facility instability to the detriment of patient care and local jobs.
But if your loved was has sustained an injury because of neglect under staffing is not an excuse for good patient care. The nursing home facility still must provide adequate and reasonable care to prevent injury to nursing home residents.
Bed sores known as pressure sore still should not be permissible even though the staff has been cut. Pressure sores are graded from Stage 1 to Stage 4. Stage one is the beginning of a pressure sore and shows as a redness normally where a bony part of the body is close to the skin in contact with the bed.
Initially, a pressure sore appears as a persistent area of red skin that may itch or hurt and feel warm and spongy or firm to the touch. In blacks, Hispanics and other people with darker skin, the mark may appear to have a blue or purple cast, or look flaky or ashen.
Stage 1: Wounds are superficial and go away shortly after the pressure is relieved.
Stage 2: At this point, some skin loss has already occurred — either in the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, in the dermis, the skin’s deeper layer, or in both. The wound is now an open sore that looks like a blister or an abrasion, and the surrounding tissues may show red or purple discoloration. If treated promptly, stage II sores usually heal fairly quickly.
Stage 3: By the time a pressure ulcer reaches this stage, it has extended through all the skin layers down to the muscle, damaging or destroying the affected tissue and creating a deep, crater-like wound.
Stage 4: In the most serious and advanced stage, a large-scale loss of skin occurs, along with damage to muscle, bone, and even supporting structures such as tendons and joints. Stage 4 wounds are extremely difficult to heal and can lead to lethal infections and even strokes.
Anthony Castelli Cincinnati Attorney accepts nursing home negligence claims.
For free evaluation Call 621-2345 to speak with Anthony.
