Hello I am new to this forum. I would like to ask if anyone’s loved one they are caring for or have cared for have had horrible pressure sores. When my elderly loved one went into a home and developed them we weren’t told anything about it. Everyone acted like this was normal and now we know it is not normal and they are in the main all preventable/ avoidable which means they the care that has to have been given was substandard and this is neglect. Our family went through a frightening time educating ourselves about how you get them and shocked to find out no-one has any answers and didn’t seem to care. We’ve had complaints and when we realised nothing seemed to be being done to protect our vulnerable elderly we went to the police. We have a petition on change. org currently, if one clicks on the magnifying glass and types in “horrific pressure sores” you can see it and sign if you feel strongly about it. I would like to know if others here have suffered this situation and how you have gotten on? If it has hurt you like it has us and our loved one we would be interested know and share information to help us all become more knowledgeable about this subject because people shouldn’t be suffering - and in some cases dying from these unnecessary wounds and what carers can do about it. Thank you.
Hi Kate … welcome to the canteen.
I’m sorry to learn of your experiences which , in essence , is a far too common , preventable , condition.
Very quiet on the forum as you post … a holding reply pending the calvary arriving.
Best place to start ?
NHS on pressure ulcers … sores being the common word :
Pressure ulcers (pressure sores) - NHS
Several other sites with information out of the top drawer.
Internet search … PRESSURE SORES PREVENTION … will reveal most.
I trust this information is useful pending other forum members adding from their direct experiences.
Kate, it is a very serious issue. Have you read the NHS online pages on the subject. Very helpful.
My mum died as a result of a sore that wouldn’t heal. She was in the very best care home in the area. In her case, she couldn’t eat enough protein because of a digestive problem, so her body couldn’t heal.
Maybe your loved one is so frail that, like mum, the body wasn’t able to heal? It’s a horrible chicken and egg situation.
In our area, there is a TVN, Tissue Viability Nurse, who deals with this sort of problem. Has your loved one seen someone like this?
Hi and thank you for replying to me. I am so sorry this happened to your mum Bowlingbun. The information is useful to us. We are quite knowledgeable on the subject but everyone can always learn more and sharing experiences helps. My loved one has passed now, but the sores were entirely avoidable, we healed them when the professionals did not - it was neglect plain and simple and it is understood by experts that most wounds are avoidable. Therefore this means it should never have happened in the first place - what causes pressure sores is pressure not being relieved, and if someone is responsible for doing that, they should do it. They are beyond painful and horrific and not only should vulnerable people be being subject to them, they should not get worse and worse and multiply. I don’t know about your mum’s condition Bowlingbun but I do know that there is very few percentage of people where they can’t be avoided. We proved this in our case. It has been the most frightening time over the last years and its still going on. People are not aware that what they may be being told is incorrect information about their loved ones, what I call injuries actually, because in the main they have been inflicted by not adhering to the legal guidelines for prevention and risk assessment. If anyone reading agrees that this should not be happening and feel you can support our petition on change. org we would be so grateful. I hope others share their experiences. I hope my post will help others understand these wounds and they may not suffer like we have. If you understand that these wounds are signs of neglect in the main you can watch out and ask the right questions early on. I still wake up hearing my loved one screaming in pain when I went into that home and nobody cared. It has affected me for life.