Medical Care, the Journal of the Medical Care Section of the American Public Health Association, released a study titled “Obesity and Pressure Ulcers Among Nursing Home Residents.
The study examines the relationship between obesity and pressure ulcers, but it also ties the results of the studies to understaffing. The data for the study was derived from 10 years of compiled care plans. The investigators isolated the care plans of residents who were newly admitted to nursing homes for short term stays that turned into long term stays.
Obesity increased from 17% to 26% for these residents. After one year of nursing home care, the investigators looked at nursing home residents who developed bed sores. Obesity was found to have a close causal relationship with bed sores.
That relationship was shown to also be affected by the level of certified nurse aides employed at the facility. In other words, obese nursing home residents in understaffed nursing homes had an even greater likelihood of acquiring a bed sore then residents in nursing homes with better staffing levels.
As regular readers of this blog know, bed sores are one of the most horrible conditions that can happen to a nursing home resident. These infections can eventually cause painful, open wounds that easily become fatal.
If you have a loved one who has acquired a bed sore in an Illinois nursing home, it’s critical that you contact a Chicago nursing home lawyer as soon as possible. No matter what the nursing home staff or administration told you, there’s never an excuse for a bed sore to develop on a resident in a nursing home or hospital. At my law offices we have the experience and expertise to manage every aspect of your bed sore lawsuit, and we would welcome the opportunity to speak to you.