Stage 3 and stage 4 pressure ulcers do not happen in a facility that repositions, checks skin and feeds its residents properly. If your parent or loved one (65 and older) developed one in a California nursing home or care facility, we will find out why, and hold the facility accountable.
Your loved one deserved to be turned, checked and cared for. Not left in one position until the skin broke down.
A pressure ulcer forms when a resident is left in one position long enough for the blood supply to the skin to be cut off. Facilities know this. That is why care plans call for repositioning at least every two hours, daily skin checks, adequate nutrition and hydration, and pressure-relieving surfaces. Federal nursing home regulations require a facility to prevent pressure ulcers unless they were clinically unavoidable. When a wound reaches stage 3 or stage 4, the question is almost never whether something went wrong. It is who let it.
Intact skin, discolored and warm to the touch. Reversible if the pressure is relieved.
Partial skin loss. The facility should have escalated care by now.
Fat tissue visible. Infection risk rises sharply.
Exposed bone, tendon or muscle. Sepsis and osteomyelitis are common. Often fatal.
Date-stamped, with a coin for scale. Do it at every dressing change.
Request the care plan, turning log and skin assessments in writing. You are entitled to them.
Facilities sometimes present releases or arbitration forms after an injury. Wait.
A free, confidential review within 24 hours. No fee unless we win.
Most families who call us are not thinking about a lawsuit. They are thinking about a parent who is in pain, and about whether they should have seen it sooner. You should not have had to. The facility was paid to see it. Our job is to get the records, find out what was skipped, and make sure the people responsible answer for it.
That's the work. That's Justice For Elders.
Why families call Justice 4 Elders1:52
Every step. Every hour. Every step of the way. When you need us, we're here.
Justice For Elders was built on a single, uncompromising belief:
That the people who spent their lives taking care of us deserve to be taken care of in return — and when they aren't, someone has to answer for it.
Not always, but a stage 3 or stage 4 wound in a facility almost always means something in the care plan was not done. We get the records and find out.
Yes. Many of our bed sore cases are brought by the family after a death from sepsis or infection. Deadlines apply, so call soon.
California's elder abuse law protects residents 65 and older, and dependent adults in care. If you are unsure, ask us.
Nothing up front. We are paid only if we recover for your family.
Deadlines in California can be as short as one year in some situations. The safest step is to talk with us now, even if you are not sure you have a case.
Most cases resolve without trial. We prepare every case as if it will go to trial, which is why they resolve.
