Bed Sores

The attorneys at the Law Offices of John C. Manoog, III represent nursing home residents who have been injured in a wide range of situations, as well as their loved ones. Families make a significant financial and emotional decision when they move a loved one into a nursing home facility, and they place a lot of trust in the staff to take good care of the resident. Our Cape Cod nursing home negligence attorneys help ensure that these facilities live up to their duty to properly care for their residents by fighting to get clients the maximum compensation that may be available.

Bed and pressure sores often result when nursing home staff fail to pay enough attention to residents. These painful ailments are ulcers that may form on the skin when a part of a person’s body is subjected to continued pressure over an extended period of time. A person who spends a lot of time confined to a bed or wheelchair, for instance, is at risk of developing sores in areas like the hips, elbows, knees, and back of head. The sores arise relatively quickly and may be hard to treat. This is why it is important for nursing home staff to be attentive to residents and make sure that they are regularly moved from or repositioned in beds or wheelchairs to avoid the sores.

State law authorizes a person who develops bed sores or suffers another injury as a result of inattention by nursing home staff to seek damages from people and entities that were responsible. The compensation typically available in nursing home negligence cases includes money for medical costs, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. If a family is bringing a wrongful death claim on behalf of a loved one who lost their life because of a facility’s negligence, other types of damages may be sought.

The law holds doctors and other nursing home staff to a high standard or “duty of care.” The specific duty that is owed to a particular patient may vary based on the circumstances, but nursing home staff are at the very least expected to be attentive to residents and take basic steps to ward off bed sores and other ailments. If they fail to do so, the staff member and their employer is likely to be liable for negligence.

To prove negligence, you need to show that the defendant failed to live up to the applicable standard of care in allowing the resident to develop bed sores. This often means using expert and other witness testimony to establish the level of care expected of nursing home staff in the same situation. It also likely means presenting detailed medical evidence to convey the extent of the injuries caused.

At the Law Offices of John C. Manoog, III, we have been fighting for Massachusetts residents in nursing home negligence and other personal injury cases since 1994. Our Cape Cod nursing home negligence lawyers have over 146 years of combined legal experience, and we have a strong track record of previous successes for clients, including a number of six- and seven-figure settlements and judgments. Our personal injury attorneys offer free consultations and do not charge a fee in most cases unless we are successful. Call us at 888-262-6664 or contact us online to start discussing your situation. Nós Falamos Português.