A Bedsore Shouldn’t Be a Death Sentence
A bedsore doesn’t happen overnight—and it shouldn’t happen at all. In a Toledo-area nursing home, a man’s pressure ulcer went untreated for weeks, according to a lawsuit filed by his family, until the infection reached his bone and eventually took his life. His case isn’t an outlier.
Across Ohio, families are learning too late that the bedsore they assumed was a minor, unavoidable part of aging or recovery was a warning sign of neglect.
How Bedsores Form, and Why They’re Preventable
Bedsores, also called pressure ulcers, develop when a person is left in the same position for too long, cutting off blood flow to the skin. Health researchers consider them highly preventable, and staff can typically stop them from forming by repositioning an immobilized patient roughly once every two hours.
When a nursing home or care facility fails to do this—often because it’s understaffed—a simple red patch of skin can progress into an open wound, then a deep tissue infection, then sepsis. The Toledo-area man mentioned above? He was left in the same position for more than 11 days.
Warning Signs Families Should Watch For
Bed sore progression is where negligence becomes clear. A few warning signs deserve immediate attention:
- Redness or discoloration that doesn’t fade after repositioning
- Skin that feels unusually warm, soft, or firm to the touch
- Open sores, especially near the tailbone, heels, or hips
- A resident left in soiled bedding or diapers for extended periods
- Sudden fever, confusion, or signs of infection in a loved one who was previously stable
When a Bedsore Becomes a Legal Matter
Ohio nursing homes have a legal duty to provide a basic standard of care, which includes routine repositioning, proper hygiene, and prompt medical attention when a wound appears. When a facility ignores that duty—often to save on staffing costs—and a resident suffers a preventable, worsening bedsore, that facility can be held legally responsible for the harm that follows, including wrongful death when an infection proves fatal.
Regulatory data backs up what families are seeing firsthand: understaffed facilities are far more likely to see residents develop serious pressure injuries. That’s not a coincidence—it’s a pattern, and it’s one that Ohio families are increasingly taking to court.
Hold the Facility Accountable
If your loved one developed a bedsore while under someone else’s care, don’t assume it was unavoidable. It likely wasn’t. The Law Offices of Tim Misny can help you find out what really happened and hold the facility accountable.
When a nursing home’s neglect leads to a preventable bedsore, I’ll Make Them Pay!® Call my office at (877) 944-4373 so I can evaluate your case right away.
