Bedsore Lawyers in Chicago

How Pressure Injuries Develop & Progress

Pressure injuries are areas of damaged skin and underlying tissue caused by sustained pressure or shear, which occurs when skin remains in place while deeper tissue shifts. Also called bedsores, pressure sores, pressure ulcers, or decubitus ulcers, these wounds often develop over bony areas such as the hips, heels, tailbone, and elbows.

Care issues that may be relevant to an evaluation include:

• Risk assessment: Skin inspections and evaluation of mobility, circulation, continence, nutrition, and other risk factors.
• Pressure relief: Repositioning and appropriate pressure-relieving surfaces.
• Daily care: Hygiene, moisture management, nutrition, hydration, and assistance with movement.
• Wound response: Assessment, physician notification, treatment, monitoring, and follow-up after skin breakdown appears.

Federal nursing facility standards require care consistent with professional standards to prevent avoidable pressure ulcers. When an ulcer develops, facilities must provide treatment intended to promote healing, prevent infection, and prevent additional wounds. Whether an injury was avoidable depends on the resident’s condition and the care provided.

Signs That a Bedsore May Need Closer Review

Worsening redness or discoloration, broken skin, an open wound, increasing pain, drainage, odor, fever, infection, or hospitalization may warrant closer review. A wound that appears untreated or progresses without a clear explanation can also raise questions about whether staff identified and addressed changes promptly.

Care plans, nursing notes, wound care records, skin assessments, medication and nutrition records, and repositioning documentation may show how staff responded. The analysis should also consider when the facility notified a physician or family member and whether it obtained additional medical attention.

Protections for Illinois Nursing Home Residents

The Illinois Nursing Home Care Act defines neglect to include a facility’s failure to provide, or willful withholding of, adequate medical care, mental health treatment, psychiatric rehabilitation, personal care, or assistance with activities of daily living necessary to avoid physical harm, mental anguish, or mental illness. Residents also have rights to respectful care and timely accommodation of basic needs such as food, water, medication, toileting, and personal hygiene.

A claim may examine whether the long-term care facility recognized the resident’s risk, followed the resident care plan, documented treatment, and responded to changes in the wound. Liability depends on the specific care failures, the resulting harm, and the available evidence.