Dad has beginning of what looks like bed sores, nursing home denies it. What should we do next?

I will say for a long time the word was not understood, and thought to be no big deal, well it is. If these are not dealt with ASAP, the wound will becme infected.
mOving them side to side, getting the proper ointment, which is availabe, and yet get hold of the Area on Aging in your area.Is he able at all to walk with assistance? just some blood flow into the area can help.If you push on the area
and it turns white at all, that means that there is still blood flow ot the area, if not, get on this yesterday. These are unacceptable, and need constant watching. Good Luck, my thoughts are with you.

Frequent massaging of at-risk areas for the bed-bound should be undertaken with warm sudsy water. Then, the area should be patted dry, Never rubbed dry.

Anywhere on the body where the skin lying over a bone or bony protuberance is at risk. Lying in urine-soaked sheets will make breakdown more likely.

Good nursing care will prevent a variety of conditions that the indolent and could-care-less will sit by and allow to happen.


Do not be complicit in their neglect by staying silent. Holler! The louder the better! The more often the better!

Wow, I have read all these wonderful suggestions. I am ready for the fight. We have brought him to the hospital and he has stage 2 bed sores. Not good. We are on the middle of a battle between the family and the care center. The social worker is a real piece of work.

I am so sorry. I was afraid that was the issue. You need to contact elder abuse and the Area on Aging people in your area as well as the family services people in charge of nursing homes. This is legal neglect - contact an attorney who specializes in nursing home neglect. Immediately contact the Risk Management director of the nursing home to file a complaint. Keep going up the chain of command until someone listens. Do not let him go back to that nursing home. Get him on the waiting list for a new one. Bed sores are so bad but they are preventable and controllable if caught early on. Move on with a new facility. Good luck. You have my prayers.

The nursing home must have a doctor on call or in residence. Ask for his phone number. Call him and tell him exactly where you're seeing bedsores and ask for him to check them and call you back. Get a time estimate of when he'll be doing that. Call him the next day to find out what he thinks. And then call him again. And again. Leave the nurses out of the loop since it seems they aren't helpful. You want the doctor's opinion. Believe me, the nurses don't want your dad to have bedsores anymore than you do.

Mandate. Hope it's going well!

MaggieMarshall: I think her situation is way past this. You are right, the nurses don't want to be tending to bedsores. I found that the nurses sent a note to the doctor which is at the facility quite a bit - but maybe the doctor didn't get it and of course no one followed up, so they just stick their head in the sand and do nothing. My mom is at an okay nursing home but you have to keep them on their toes all the time and when I am not getting the response I need, I take it to the Risk Management supervisor. This person does not want a complaint filed against the nursing home and will do her own investigation of the situation. Plus my mom has a patient advocate who I can call at any time to bypass all of the steps up the ladder that you sometimes have to climb. If I deem the situation is serious, such as when my mom took herself to the bathroom in her wheelchair and tried to stand up which she cannot do, and fell. I would definitely move him or put him on a waiting list for a better facility.

Pressure ulcers are usually associated with leg weakness. Nursing homes can use the leg-pac device for leg strengthening. This will also decreased pressure on buttocks and lower spine lowering risk of bedsores. Nursing homes do not like to spend any money on prevention. Families need to pressure them into taking preventative action.