By Nursing Home Law Center
‘Under-staffing’ and ‘under-funding’ are just several of the underlying reasons alleged to contribute to the development of a patient’s bed sores (or decubitus ulcers, pressure ulcers or pressure sores) during an admission to a Missouri nursing home.
The subject of the lawsuit, Nellie Wilks, was an elderly woman who was admitted to Parkwood Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on July 7, 2008. At the time of her admission, Ms. Wilks suffered from various medical conditions and was very much dependent on the staff at Parkwood for providing care for her daily living needs. Despite her maladies, Ms. Wilks did not have any type of pressure sore on her body.
Also at the time of her admission, the staff at Parkwood conducted an assessment of Ms. Wilks needs and determined her to be at risk for developing bed sores, due to her limited mobility, incontinence of bowel and bladder and need for staff assistance with all of her daily living needs.
The failure on the part of the staff at Parkwood (as well as the owners’ failure to provide staff with the means to do their job) to properly implement Ms. Wilks’ plan of care is alleged to be responsible for the development of a stage IV pressure sore on Ms. Wilks’ sacrum. The wound’s advanced nature, necessitated a medical procedure known as a diverting colostomy and extensive medical care until her death on October 26, 2008.
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