Bedsore Attorney in Farmington

What Bedsores Are & How They Develop

A bedsore, also called a pressure ulcer or pressure sore, is an injury to skin and underlying tissue caused by prolonged pressure on the body. They typically form over bony areas: heels, hips, the tailbone, shoulders, and elbows. In nursing home residents with limited mobility, these sites are under constant pressure when repositioning doesn’t happen often enough.

Bedsores develop faster than most families realize. Tissue damage can begin within hours of sustained immobility and worsen rapidly without intervention. Residents with dementia, complex medical conditions, or significant physical limitations face the highest risk.

The Four Stages of Pressure Ulcers

Clinicians classify pressure ulcers in four stages based on severity:

• Stage 1: Skin appears red, discolored, or warm to the touch but remains intact
• Stage 2: Skin breaks open, forming a blister or shallow wound
• Stage 3: The wound deepens into fat tissue beneath the skin
• Stage 4: Muscle or bone becomes exposed, carrying a serious risk of infection, including sepsis

Stage 3 and Stage 4 pressure ulcers are treated as “never events” in regulated care settings, meaning they should rarely occur when proper protocols are in place. Their presence in a nursing home resident is a strong signal that something went wrong in the facility’s care.

How Nursing Home Neglect Causes Bedsores

Bedsores don’t develop because a facility was unlucky. They develop because specific care protocols weren’t followed. Nursing homes are legally required to develop and follow individualized care plans that include pressure ulcer prevention, and New Mexico long-term care facilities must comply with both federal CMS regulations and the New Mexico Resident Bill of Rights.

The most common failures that lead to preventable pressure ulcers include:

• Failure to reposition: Residents with limited mobility need to be repositioned every one to two hours. Skipping this step is one of the leading causes of bedsores.
• Understaffing: When facilities run short on staff, repositioning, skin checks, and hygiene assistance fall through the cracks.
• Poor hygiene: Failure to change soiled clothing or bedding weakens skin integrity and accelerates wound formation.
• Malnutrition and dehydration: Both impair the skin’s ability to withstand pressure and heal from injury.
• Inadequate skin monitoring: Facilities should catch pressure ulcers at Stage 1 before they become serious. Missing early signs is itself a failure of care.

Warning Signs Farmington Families Should Watch For

You don’t have to be a clinician to recognize that something is wrong. During visits to a loved one in a San Juan County facility, watch for:

• Red, discolored, or irritated skin
• Blisters or open wounds
• Swelling or warmth around a skin area
• Foul odor near a wound
• Complaints of pain or sensitivity
• Any visible tissue damage

A facility’s response matters as much as the wound itself. Nursing homes are required to document and report skin injuries. If staff downplays a bedsore, delays telling you about it, or discourages questions, treat that as a warning sign. In May 2024, unannounced state inspections of 91 New Mexico long-term care facilities found that 88% had at least one violation. Facility failures are common, not isolated.