Putting the care of our loved ones in the hands of others is a big step requiring a lot of trust. Even though nursing homes are supposed to nurture residents, not all facilities provide high-quality care and unfortunately Kentucky’s best facilities have waiting lists for admittance. But that shouldn’t keep your loved one from getting attentive, adequate care. No facility should neglect its residents.

When a nursing home fails to care for their residents, that negligence can result in injuries and illness. Because senior citizens typically have more compromised immune systems and it’s harder for them to recover, negligence can also cause death. One of these types of injuries that can severely affect a senior’s life is pressure sores, which are also called bedsores.

If you find that your loved one has suffered from these injuries, they need to get treatment immediately. How and when do bedsores commonly develop? Let’s take look at the causes and risk factors of developing pressure sores in a nursing home:

Nursing home abuse is a serious and underreported issue. According to the National Council on Aging, one in 10 seniors is abused every year; however, it’s estimated that only every one in 23 cases is reported. The lack of reporting happens because victims often refrain from reporting incidents out of feelings of fear or guilt.

In order to stop instances of nursing home abuse, the government has a number of nursing home regulations in place. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has a number of programs that strive to identify nursing home abuse and protect elders. If you have a loved one in a nursing home, it’s important to understand what the government is doing to protect them, so you can take legal action in the event their rights are violated.