Bedsores in Nursing Homes: What Families Need To Know About Legal Recourse

Bedsores in Nursing Homes: Signs of Neglect and Your Legal Rights

Finding out that your loved one has developed bedsores in a nursing home is both heartbreaking and deeply concerning. These painful, and sometimes life-threatening wounds are more than just a medical issue—they’re often a red flag for neglect, signaling a serious failure in the care and attention they deserve.

As a family member, you have the right and responsibility to understand what these injuries mean and how to protect your loved one. California law requires nursing homes to provide adequate care, including repositioning and proper skin assessments to prevent pressure ulcers. Families can hold facilities accountable when they fail to meet these standards and seek compensation for medical treatment and pain and suffering.

Learn how bed sores develop in nursing home patients, why neglect often plays a role in their development, and what steps you can take to protect your family member’s health and dignity.

What Are Bedsores?

Bedsores, also called pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers, are painful wounds that develop when an individual stays in the same position for too long. They are a common nursing home injury, with about 1 in 10 patients developing these wounds during their residency.

Bedsores range from mild redness and irritation to deep, open sores that expose muscle and bone and typically form on bony areas like the tailbone, heels, hips, and elbows, where the skin has less cushioning. If left untreated, they can lead to infections, severe pain, and long-term complications.

Are Bedsores a Normal Part of Aging?

While common, families should know that despite the challenges of aging and mobility issues, bedsores are not an inevitable part of long-term care in a nursing home. They can almost always be prevented with proper medical attention, routine care, and monitoring.

Staff negligence, such as failing to reposition residents regularly, not keeping the skin clean and dry, and ignoring signs of early skin damage, puts residents at serious risk. If these issues persist, wounds can worsen, leading to life-threatening complications that endanger the resident’s life.

For families of nursing home residents, understanding bedsores is the first step in advocating for your loved one’s health and safety.

Causes and Risk Factors for Pressure Ulcers

Bedsores develop when prolonged pressure on the skin cuts off circulation, damaging tissue. While pressure is the main cause, other factors can make nursing home residents more vulnerable to these painful wounds.

Common causes and risk factors include:

  • Limited mobility. Residents who cannot move on their own rely on staff for repositioning. Without regular movement, pressure builds on certain areas, leading to sores.
  • Understaffing. When nursing homes lack caregivers, residents may not receive routine care to prevent skin damage and infections.
  • Poor hygiene. Moisture from sweat, urine, or soiled bedding weakens the skin, making it more likely to break down.
  • Malnutrition and dehydration. Lack of proper nutrients and fluids slows healing and makes the skin more fragile.
  • Medical conditions. Diabetes, poor circulation, and other health issues like Alzheimer’s can increase the risk of developing and worsening bedsores.

Proper care and attention can reduce these risks, but neglect in any of these areas can quickly lead to serious complications.

Stages of Bedsores

Bedsores progress through four stages, each indicating the severity of tissue damage. They can develop within 2-6 hours and range from mild skin irritation to deep, open wounds that require urgent medical care.

Stage 1: Early Warning

Signs & Severity

Red or irritated skin that doesn’t turn white when pressed. May feel warm, firm, or sore.

Prevention & Treatment

Regular repositioning, pressure relief, skin checks, and moisture control.

Stage 2: Partial Skin Loss

Signs & Severity

Skin breaks open, forming a blister or raw spot. The area may be swollen or tender.

Prevention & Treatment

Clean the wound, apply protective dressings, reposition frequently, and monitor for infection.

Stage 3: Deep Tissue Damage

Signs & Severity

The wound breaks through deeper layers of skin, creating a crater-like sore. Dead tissue may be visible.

Prevention & Treatment

Needs specialized care, including removing dead tissue (debridement) and preventing infection.

Stage 4: Extensive Destruction

Signs & Severity

Skin and tissue break down completely, exposing muscle, bone, or joints. Infection risk is extremely high.

Prevention & Treatment

Requires emergency medical care, infection treatment, and possibly surgery.

Stage Signs & Severity Prevention & Treatment

Stage 1: Early Warning

Red or irritated skin that doesn’t turn white when pressed. May feel warm, firm, or sore.

Regular repositioning, pressure relief, skin checks, and moisture control.

Stage 2: Partial Skin Loss

Skin breaks open, forming a blister or raw spot. The area may be swollen or tender.

Clean the wound, apply protective dressings, reposition frequently, and monitor for infection.

Stage 3: Deep Tissue Damage

The wound breaks through deeper layers of skin, creating a crater-like sore. Dead tissue may be visible.

Needs specialized care, including removing dead tissue (debridement) and preventing infection.

Stage 4: Extensive Destruction

Skin and tissue break down completely, exposing muscle, bone, or joints. Infection risk is extremely high.

Requires emergency medical care, infection treatment, and possibly surgery.

The progression to Stage 3 or 4 bedsores is never acceptable in a professional care setting. These advanced stages represent a catastrophic failure of basic nursing home care.

Discovering a Stage 3 or 4 bedsore is an immediate call to action for families. These wounds are not just medical emergencies—they are potential evidence of neglect that demands immediate medical intervention and legal accountability.

Impact of Neglect and Abuse

Bedsores are a glaring sign of neglect, eroding a family’s trust and severely impacting a vulnerable resident’s well-being. When a nursing home fails to meet basic care standards, the damage goes far beyond physical wounds—it affects dignity, comfort, and overall quality of life.

As a result, those suffering from untreated pressure ulcers often endure:

  • Intense, chronic pain
  • Increased vulnerability to life-threatening infections
  • A rapid decline in overall health
  • Complete loss of personal dignity
  • Psychological trauma from feeling abandoned

For families, discovering bedsores on a loved one is both devastating and infuriating. Realizing they have suffered unnecessarily due to neglect can bring overwhelming emotions — shock, anger, guilt, and helplessness.

The burden isn’t just emotional; the financial impact can be just as crushing. Treating severe bedsores often requires:

  • Specialized medical interventions
  • Potential surgical procedures
  • Extended rehabilitation
  • Long-term care adjustments

Medical treatment costs range from $20,900 to 151,700, depending on the severity of the ulcer. Families often bear the financial strain of out-of-pocket medical bills, lost income from taking time off to provide care and the added cost of emotional and psychological support.

Contacting a knowledgeable bedsore lawyer as soon as possible allows you to seek compensation that may alleviate the economic strain on your family.

Legal Recourse for Nursing Home Neglect Victims

If your loved one was harmed by negligent nursing home care, your family has legal rights. Under California’s elder abuse laws, every resident has the right to dignified treatment and proper medical care.

Families can file a formal complaint and seek settlement damages in a civil lawsuit when a care facility fails to meet these standards. Here’s what you can do on behalf of your loved one if they suffer bedsores due to improper care:

  • File a complaint with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH). Visit the CDPH website or call the Licensing and Certification Division to report the facility. Provide details about the neglect, including medical records or photos of the bedsores. The state will investigate and may take corrective action.
  • Report the neglect to Adult Protective Services (APS). If you suspect ongoing mistreatment or severe neglect, contact APS in your county. They assess elder abuse cases and can intervene if immediate action is needed.
  • Request an investigation from the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. The local Ombudsman Program helps mediate disputes with the nursing home and can advocate for better care. Call the statewide CRISISline at 1-800-231-4024 to connect with a representative.
  • File a lawsuit against the nursing home. If neglect leads to serious harm, a civil lawsuit can help recover compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other damages. An experienced nursing home neglect attorney will explain your rights and legal options, gather evidence to prove negligence and guide your family through this challenging time.

Know Your Rights: Hold Negligent Facilities Accountable

No family should ever face the pain of discovering their loved one has suffered preventable, life-altering injuries. In this situation, seeking legal help for bedsores can help you understand your rights and advocate for your elderly family member.

An attorney can guide you through filing a formal complaint, investigating your loved one’s case, and taking legal action to hold the facility accountable. They can help you seek financial compensation and work to prevent other vulnerable residents from suffering the same neglect.