Fighting For Bed Sore Victims in Chicago For Over 30 Years
I am Chicago bed sores attorney Joseph M. Dooley. I can help you receive compensation for your loved one’s injuries caused by nursing home neglect, and hopefully prevent this kind of neglect in the future.
At The Law Office of Joseph M. Dooley, I represent nursing home residents and their families throughout the Chicago, Illinois, area, when they have suffered injuries due to neglect and improper health care. Contact me, a Chicago nursing abuse attorney, today to schedule a free initial consultation about your personal injury claim.
Bed Sores Are Preventable
When you put a loved one in a nursing home, you assume the staff will provide him or her with a high quality of living, however there have been many cases where this simply does not happen. If you have a beloved elderly or handicapped relative in a long-term nursing facility, don’t just assume your loved one is in the hands of caring, well-trained professionals. The National Center on Elder Abuse reports that 36 percent of America’s nursing homes have been cited for violating elder abuse laws. Most long-term care facilities in Illinois are professionally operated and staffed, but others are not. Understaffing and a lack of proper training are invariably the causes behind abuse and mistreatment in long-term care facilities. Nursing homes are operated for profit, of course, but owners can never be allowed to put profits above the well-being of residents.
Families with relatives in nursing homes should be pro-active: stay in constant communication with the staff, make surprise visits, befriend families of other residents, and keep alert for signs of abuse. Pressure ulcers and bed sores are common and obvious indications that a patient’s care is substandard. Pressure sores are lesions which form in the skin because of unrelieved pressure on bony areas of the body. This pressure reduces the blood flow to those areas, and the surrounding tissue dies. Bed sores can arise anywhere, but are commonly found in or on the sacrum, coccyx (tailbone), ankles, elbows, and heels.
There are four stages of bed sores, stage I, stage II, stage III and stage IV. Stage In stage I, the sore is not very advanced and the skin is probably not broken, however there will be a visible red mark on the skin that could be warm or cool to the touch. The bed sore becomes an open wound in stage II, when the outer layer is sloughed away. At this point, the store will be pink or red and very shallow. The bed sore will deepen in stage III, where skin loss becomes extremely serious and fat may begin to show as well. During stage III, the skin inside of the store will be dead or a yellow color. Finally, stage IV bed sores are characterized by dead tissue around the edges of the wound. It is possible to see muscle or tendons during this stage. Every bed sore will start in stage I and progress to the more severe stages if it is left untreated. The further along the bed sore is, the harder it becomes to medically treat.
The presence of bed sores often indicates a lax attitude to patient care; pressure ulcers and bed sores are easily preventable. Nursing home staffs can prevent their formation by frequently turning residents to relieve pressure on any specific body area. Pressure-relieving devices include special mattresses and beds, heel protectors, and boots which alleviate pressure on high-risk body parts. If a bed sore does develop, the staff should immediately treat it with medication to prevent complications. When a resident develops bed sores in an Illinois nursing home due to staff negligence, the resident or the family should take legal action. Chicago personal injury attorneys can provide you with the legal resources you need to hold the nursing home accountable for their errors.
When appropriate care is offered, bedsores are preventable. Unfortunately, a number of nursing home facilities in Illinois fall short. Those with elderly loved ones in nursing homes should know how to respond if bedsores are discovered. The safety and health of those we love is a top priority for all of us. If you suspect your family member may be suffering from bed sores, or if you discover other indications of abuse or neglect, you need to act as quickly as possible. In the greater Chicago area, speak with experienced Chicago bed sores lawyer Joseph Dooley who will fight for your family’s rights, hold negligent parties accountable, and help your family win both compensation and justice.
If you notice any indications of abuse, or if you believe your loved one may be a victim of mistreatment by nursing home staff, speak at once to experienced bed sores attorney Joseph Dooley who will fight for your family’s rights. A good bed sores lawyer can launch an investigation, compile evidence and testimony, and work with other experts who can help you and your family. Nothing is more important than the well-being of your family. If you suspect abuse or mistreatment is happening in a nursing home where your loved one resides, seek the legal help you need immediately from experienced bed sores attorney Joseph Dooley.
Cook County Nursing Home Negligence Attorney
Bedsores are painful, ulcerous injuries to the skin and tissues, caused by lengthy pressure on the skin. They usually develop on skin covering bone, in people who are confined to their bed or a wheelchair, such as residents in nursing homes or long-term care facilities. They can lead to dangerous, even life-threatening, complications. If your loved one dies as a result of a bed sore complication, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim against the nursing home.
Even though bedsores may develop quickly and are difficult to treat, it is possible to prevent and assist with the healing of this condition before it puts the person at risk or takes a toll on his health. Healthcare professionals and nursing home aides are trained in such prevention and healing tactics, which include a regimen of inspection and methodically changing a bedridden patient’s position. Unfortunately, in understaffed facilities, this regimen is all too easily neglected.
As an advocate for nursing home residents, I will provide the focus and dedication that your case requires. As the only Chicago bed sores attorney at my law firm, I will work with you every step of the way as we seek full compensation for the medical treatment required for your loved one’s injuries.
Contact My Chicago, Illinois, Law Firm
Has your loved one experienced the pain and potentially dangerous consequences of bed sores? As a personal injury attorney, I have experience representing clients in a wide variety of cases, including truck and car accidents, premises liability, birth injuries, and slip and falls. If you or a loved one has been injured because of a nursing home’s failure to care for their residents, there’s no time to waste. To schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced Chicago bed sores attorney, please call me at 312-236-7282 or contact my Chicago law firm by filling out the online form on this website.