Elder Abuse BLAWG

California injury attorney Michael P. Ehline, Esq, discusses the recent scientific study regarding the ability of elders to detect scams & unsavory characters.

Nurse hits woman Nationwide, and specifically in cities like New York City, and nursing and adult care abuse remains common. Often it's in the form of emotional mistreatment, physical harm, or financial scams. But civil advocates called elder abuse attorneys fight for aging people. In particular, they can file elder absue cases in civil court (learn more). There are also City Attorneys and Prosecutors who prosecute the worst abuses. But the need far outweighs the public resources available to fight it. What are Some Facts About the Abuse? After Hurricane Sandy, it only took a short time, before Jeanne Zieff, a Staten Island, the social worker began seeing the fallout. Before Thanksgiving, Zieff counseled an 88-year old woman, who had recently received an $8,000 FEMA check for storm damage. Sadly, her live in adult daughter and adult grandchildren made her give them the FEMA check. In another example, Zieff says that an elderly grandmother loaned her granddaughter a room in her house. Important here is that the young woman's basement apartment had flooded. So she needed a favor. But she refused to leave the home and caused a lot of mischief. What is the New York Elder Abuse Program? Five non-profit agencies run city-funded elder abuse programs. Zieff is the elder abuse program coordinator for the Community Agency for Senior Citizens. Zieff said she discussed the situation with the 88-year-old woman and explained she has the right to say “no.” She did a lot of role-playing with the woman so she would remain strong in asserting herself. And she told the abused woman, if anyone asks her for any more money, to call her first. The Staten Island social worker then visited the elderly woman's home, where she said the interlopers were not happy to see her. Also, she told the woman’s daughter that the FEMA check was made out to her mother, not her. And she also told the younger woman that her mother use the money however she wants. Over Working The Civil Servant But according to Zeiff, whether there is stormy weather or not, her and several coworkers work on at least 30 cases of elder abuse every month. She said that their program is the only program on Staten Island that is dedicated to assisting abused senior citizens. The social workers run into cases of physical neglect, financial exploitation, sexual abuse, domestic violence, along with verbal and emotional mistreatment. Even with the groups and agencies uniting to raise awareness of the increasing elder abuse problem and developing strategies to battle it, they are at risk. The funding for these programs was recently subject to cuts, even though they were once assumed to be included in the city budget. They are now faced with yearly campaigns to renew their contracts. One agency director said this means operating for months at a time, without the help of city money. We have all heard the stories of attorneys being forced to hire their court reporters, and the shortened work weeks of the public employees of Los Angeles County, and the State of California. It is no different in the State of NY either, says nursing abuse lawyer, Michael P. Ehline, Esq. Under Funding of Senior Centers The director of public policy for the Council of Senior Centers and Services, Bobbie Sackman, said that the programs now receive a total of $800,000 a year in discretionary City Council funding, for approximately 300 senior centers in five boroughs. They are severely under-resourced when looking at the size of the area that must be covered and the intensity of the cases, Sackman said. The Under-Reported Crisis Social workers are operating with small staffs and modest funding while facing rising caseloads. The social workers are conducting intensive casework. And in some instances, it means listening for hours in counseling sessions. Also, they are making daily home visits, accompanying clients to court hearings, to the bank and staying in touch with other agencies. One of the agencies includes the Adult Protective Services or NYPD. They also hold outreach sessions for senior centers, first responders, police precincts, religious organizations, hospitals, bank tellers and others to provide education in the signs of elder abuse and how to get help or make referrals. Elderly Abuse a Public Epidemic? The professionally trained workforce remains eyes and ears for the city’s elder abuse problem. So they can work with the emotional and practical side skillfully. Plus, they can help provide support and other needed help. The director of elder abuse and police relations unit at the Carter Burden Center for the Aging on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Ken Onaitis, said one coworker and he covers half of Manhattan. He said they manage between 40 and 50 ongoing cases. Plus he said they take on approximately 15 new cases every month. Those who work with senior citizens claim that Elder abuse is a hidden public health crisis. They say there is no class or ethnic group that is immune to this type of abuse. Unreported Cases Zieff says that this is one of the most under-reported crimes. He asserted that approximately ninety percent of the time it is the senior’s children who commit the crime. She said when it is your child committing the crime; it involves many issues. She said the first is denial and then the older adult does not want to tell their child is stealing from them. There is the feeling of embarrassment, and the urge to protect them. In New York state in 2010, there was a study conducted on the prevalence of elder abuse carried out in part by the city’s Department for the Aging. They determined that for every elder abuse case known to the elder abuse service system, there are as many as 24 cases that go unreported. In New York City, approximately nine percent of the residents are age 60 or older, which equals about 120,000 seniors, who experience some form of elder abuse, within a year. The study found that older seniors suffered a higher rate of elder abuse at approximately 14%. Likely To Increase The number of abuse incidents is likely to rise, with the aging population living longer and the baby boomers joining the ranks of seniors. In the city, there are almost a million New Yorkers, which is approximately 12% of the population, who are 65 or older, with nearly 900,000 that will join that age bracket, within the next decade, from the 2010 census data. Seniors - Children as Perpetrators? According to experts the most common form of mistreatment is financial exploitation. And theft like this has only increased with lack of civility, a less mighty dollar, and greed. Philanthropist Brooke Astor was in the headlines in 2009. This happened when her son was convicted of financial elder abuse. It was alleged that her some stole her $200 million fortune. So in that case, there was theft. But he also failed to provide her with adequate medical or general care. Elder abuse workers claim they often see seniors whose children are taking their monthly social security checks or are making extra money while using the parent’s ATM card. Evelyn Laureano, executive director of the Neighborhood Self-Help by Older Persons Project (SHOPP), in the Bronx, a city-funded elder abuse program, said seniors that often come forward to seek help. But many are not doing it not because of the abuse, but rather due to a symptom of it. For example, let's take a utility shut off notice or an impending eviction. Caseworkers are trained to look for certain markers. For example, why can't a senior receiving $1,200 a month pay their $500 monthly rental payment? The elder program employees see a range of elder abuse cases and say it is as complicated as “any family and as diverse as New York, itself.” They stated that “typical” examples could vary by the borough, as well. Historically, people have been attracted to Manhattan, from all over the country, Onatis says. And many have settled independently as adults. Many were single all their lives, with few friends or family outside of the area. These seniors will often find a roommate to help cut expenses. And when the situation turns bad, the roommate will not leave, he said. Beware the “New Best Friend” Another situation is the “new best friend,” which is a person who will initially offer care, but then either absconds with money or becomes abusive. This remains a common dynamic with gullible seniors. An example is where the senior believes the abuser is the only thing keeping them from going to a nursing home or is dependent on the abuser for some care, according to case managers. Educating Victims to Refuse to go along with Mistreatment Laureano said that often the alleged abusers are the adult children of the senior, who have a dependent relationship on their elderly parents. Scenarios include things like a recently divorced son, or a relative with a substance abuse problem. Few elder, single income mom's, dad's or close family members will refuse shelter for an unemployed, homeless relative in need. Other examples of mental illness exist. For example, an adult child that completes a short-term stay in a psychiatric hospital. But they are later discharged to their mother's care. However, the mother is 89 years old. Laureano said that in such cases, fragile seniors often seek protection from the child’s violent temper. The Various Examples are Sad Domestic violence is another issue, which involves a partner, and takes all forms. One example is Bronx resident Carolyn Vonwhervin, who had been married to her husband for 41 years. As she described it, his behavior changed, for the worse two years ago. Her husband for all these years was “very kind,” she said. But as he aged, he began shouting accusations, and using profanity. The tirades worsened. Vonwhervin said it would come out of the blue and she had no idea why. One day her husband became frustrated. So in that case, he punched her in her stomach after he could not find something he was looking for. Carolyn Vonwhervin said she felt like a lost person, and that nothing like this had ever happened to her before. Vonwhervin found SHOPP’s elder abuse Violence Intervention and Prevention program. He does so through referrals where the social worker and program director Nereida Muñiz, assisted her in developing a safety plan. The plan was a borrowed strategy from domestic violence programs. And this also included having an idea of where to go if her husband became violent and called 911. Muñiz accompanied Vonwhervin to family court to obtain an order of protection and discussed finding safe housing. And later, Vonwhervin’s husband received a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, prostate cancer, and dementia. Once medicated, his demeanor calmed down. So she was able to return home to care for him. But she needed the help of a home health aide, until his death. Eslyn Rawlings, age 71, is another person that Muñiz recently began working with, who called 911. Rawlings said she had a bad day with her husband and is now receiving help for verbal and emotional abuse that she says went on for over 30 years. Her husband has not commented on the violence. And this was the first time Rawlings has mentioned her marriage problems. But she was delighted to get help. She said that the “Lord” provided someone to listen to her. Now she no longer feels alone. Elder Isolation and Why it Hurts So Bad? According to Zieff, the words of these women, the abuse is very isolating. Social workers in these programs use supportive counseling and listen, but place a priority on physical safety; they say they work from what they refer to as “strengths perspective.” Onaitis said clients are asked to talk about the good things in their lives. Also, they are interrogated as to any problems they have experienced. How would they handle the situation now, as opposed to how they handled these cases in the past is the test. They work on self-esteem building, not just calling the police removing the abuser. So then they can come right back in the door, he said. A large part of what these agencies provide is practical assistance. Social worker Muñiz stated in the Bronx; she has been able to have senior’s bank accounts restored by the bank when they have reviewed the ATM camera footage. Often they have seen it was not the account holder, who is an old customer making the withdrawals. Public and Private Helpers? There is a citywide push to combat and the prevention of elder abuse. Several non-profit and government organizations in 2009, formed the New York City Elder Abuse Center. This is a network that responds and works in partnership in complex elder abuse cases, with expertise. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office, in 2010 restructured its elder abuse unit, which now says it prosecutes approximately 700 elder abuse cases every year. The district attorney’s offices in both Brooklyn and the Bronx also have elder abuse task forces. The City Council members for the first time were able to choose elder abuse as a topic to make educational pamphlets that they distribute to constituents. The information in the brochures provided an informative tone on what elder abuse is, where they could call for help and included the five city-funded agencies in the brochure. Council Member Jessica Lappin said they want people to realize that elder abuse is more common than they think. She needs for them to have the strength to report it when it happens to them or someone they may know. Lappin has chaired the Council’s Aging Committee, since 2010. Agency and Community Commitment According to Sackman, the formation of a “community watch,” which observes, identifies and reports potential cases of elder abuse, and more public awareness is essential in battling elder abuse in the city. She, along with others have requested that the City Council make funding elder abuse programs automatic, rather than being subject to annual contracts. Sackman said, is it fair to question the commitment and the money should be in place already. Lappin said that there is no real opposition to the base-lining of funding. Also, she would like to see the Council restore the base-lined status funding. Conflicting Priorities She said that everyone realizes the importance of these programs. But conflicting priorities remain. For example, we need to balance budgets. Basically, fiscal reality remains. She said, since 2009, the city’s Department for the Aging has seen significant budget cuts. And the cuts fell on senior citizen centers, and other programs like Meals on Wheels. Lappin admitted that it took the hurricane to highlight the importance of these services. And he said that Meals on Wheels volunteers carried food up many flights of stairs to seniors. These are those who were not generally on their routes. But last year, baseline funding was restored to senior centers. But she believes it is too early to determine what will happen with this year’s budget. She said especially with the hurricane, which will have a significant impact on the overall budget. Zieff continues her work, currently and stated that they were hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy. She says they believe they are going to see more exploitation of the elderly and people will be moving in with each other; she said she shudders to think what will occur with that happening. Los Angeles has a history of taxing and spending with a lot of waste and corruption. We have seen businesses leaving our state in droves. Social service expenses have even forced a reduction in public court services. So filing fees have risen, and court reporters are no longer automatically provided to record official proceedings. One can see there are many parallels to what is happening in New York. Other Sources /elder-abuse-gullibility-seniors-scams/

California elderly abuse lawyer talks about the different problems and solutions associated with the abuse of seniors and dependants.

Caring nurse holding a kind elderly lady's hands in bed. Nursing homes are long-term care and living facilities for the elderly and disabled. Often these people are your parents. And they can be provided care by a trained and experienced staff member of the care facility. This care is an option for the older individual. This is a person who cannot live alone any longer. Often they require assistance with daily care. There are over 1.6 million Americans currently living as residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Nursing homes number more than 16,000 in the United States. In addition, some have as few as 30 residents, while others have hundreds of residents. Selecting a Nursing Home—the Guidelines When faced with placing a loved one in a nursing home, there are some guidelines that while simple may prevent putting them in a long-term care facility where there is the possibility of nursing home abuse in Long Beach, California. The first step is to visit several nursing homes Pay close attention to the residents; do they have a clean appearance? Are their clothes clean and neat? Furthermore, are they active, talking and moving about, or are they in their rooms in bed? Are there enough nursing home employees to see to the needs of the residents and provide adequate care, or do they lack in nursing home staff? Is the nursing home within your budget? The other steps to take and things to look for should include: Whether the residents seem drowsy from possible sedation? Look into how home keep residents physically restrained and why. Does it seem like a valid reason? Check into the type of care the nursing home will provide for your loved one. Ensure your loved one will receive the type of care that they require. Investigate if there have been any complaints reported to the police or the health department about the care of residents or nursing home abuse, at any of the nursing homes you are considering. Taking these steps, along with other precautions when selecting a place for your loved one, can help ensure they will be a resident of a nursing home where they receive the proper care. The idea is that they not become subjected to nursing home abuse of any form. Nursing Home Neglect In Long Beach, California nursing home neglect involves caregivers not providing the proper care of the elderly residents in the facility or fails to protect them from harm. Caregivers are charged with providing care that the resident does not harm themselves. Because due to diminished mental capacity or physical limitations they can get injured by another resident of the nursing home for example. Nursing home residents may suffer bodily harm, mental abuse or sexual assault by a staff member too. Also, they can become financially exploited. Hygiene and Nursing Home Attendants Personal hygiene is essential for the nursing home resident, and it plays a role in the prevention of nursing home abuse. In Long Beach, California there are guidelines and procedures set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid outlining good hygiene practices for nursing home attendants and staff. In cases where these guidelines for good hygiene are ignored, it is usually due to carelessness or laziness. Lack of cleanliness for nursing home residents puts them at risk for both health issues and elderly abuse since they are dependent on the attendants. Hygienic Practices In a California nursing home, hand hygiene and other hygienic practices are essential for the residents and the staff. Many of these nursing homes have been cited, due to complaints about their hygienic practices to the Health Department. When health inspectors investigated these complaints, they found there is not adequate staffing, which causes part of the problem in the charges. Furthermore, the other part of the problem is that the homes do not follow the sanitary standards. Nursing Home Abuse Resolution If you are still unable to mitigate the potential of an inadequate care provider for those on their last leg in life, it is time for step two.  Step number two, when nursing home abuse or neglect have affected a loved one, it is time to call Ehline Law Firm. These California advocates should be consulted to protect the rights of your family member.

Elder abuse concept with a senior woman in a wheelchair crying and covering her ears as a middle age nurse or other health care worker is yelling at her. Nursing home abuse is a growing problem. To illustrate this, at least two recent studies show how prevalent this treatment of elderly adults is. Nursing home abuse is an increasing problem. One of the studies included both elderly citizens and nursing home staff. Even some nursing home staff members had seen elderly abuse by other staff members. Attorneys help even the odds in all cases, and sometimes that is the only thing that exposes the harm to the court and regulatory systems. What Are Some Recent Case Studies? The National Center for the Protection of Older People at the University College Dublin found in their research that over one in four employees had witnessed psychological abuse. This kind of ill-treatment includes treatment such as shouting, swearing or insulting the elderly resident at a nursing home. And this is heinous enough, but to make elderly nursing home abuse even worse, one in eight employees had witnessed physical abuse of residents. So this involves pushing, shoving, pinching, grabbing or unnecessary restraint of residents. Theft by Caretakers This was an in-depth study, including over 1300 nurses and healthcare assistants from 64 nursing homes. The data from the research showed that physical and mental abuse was not the only crimes. There is also the fact that 1.2 percent of staff members have been seen by other employees taking valuables from residents. Gullibility of Seniors Many a nursing abuse law firm argued in court that elders are susceptible to being scammed. At least one recent study that was conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, supports this argument. It focused on the brain of the elderly and found significant differences in the significant areas, compared younger patients. The study used participants from a senior living center between the ages of 55 and 84, and then they used staff members and students between the ages of 20 and 42. They found that when showing the two groups a series of photographs, with individuals who appeared trustworthy and others with a shifty appearance, there was a tremendous difference in reactions in the brain of both groups. The younger participants were able to quickly identify the people in the photos who should not be trusted The elderly group of members did not have the same gut reaction. "Gut Reaction" Response Seems to Disappear in Elder Brains Further, testing using an MRI showed that the part of the brain known as the anterior insula in older participants lacked activity, wherein the younger participants there was a flurry of activity. The anterior insula is the part of the brain that “gut reactions” come from. So this makes you feel ill-at-ease or stressed, to pick up behaviors, and helps you in making difficult decisions. This lack of anterior insula activity, researchers determined, makes it difficult for the elderly citizen to recognize the appearance and behavior signals of being scammed. This puts them at risk that can: Cost them their life savings Bring them in physical danger. These are only two of the recent studies concerning nursing home abuse. They show possible reasons that nursing home abuse and scamming of elders occurs so often. Some abusers know no empathy. What are Some Recent Cases of Abuse? Recently, two nurses were held responsible for felony elder abuse of a nursing home resident who succumbed to the lack of proper care. One of the staff involved was a registered nurse and director of nursing at the now defunct El Dorado Care Center. This now-closed location is where the alleged abuse occurred. When the resident was taken to the hospital, the ER documented injuries, other than the reason for being admitted to the hospital, which included bruises and a wound on her pinky finger. The nursing home owner, Horizon West Healthcare Inc., when held accountable, settled the claim for: $3 million Sold 27 nursing homes it owned In civil court, the husband of the elder abuse victim, as a part of his lawsuit, claimed the nursing home was understaffed to maximize profits. What About The Unreported Abuse? These nursing home employees were held accountable in the above cases. However, there are thousands of cases of nursing home abuse, with what is believed to be approximately half or more never reported to authorities. This silence is because in most cases, the nursing home resident feels defenseless. They do not believe they have an avenue to stop the mistreatment, so they live in fear of the abuse. And this is what the nursing home staff member, who won't give proper care, counts on. Often the elder abuse only comes to light because of the family members who recognize the signs! So they are forced to go to the authorities and perhaps an elder abuse lawyer. But what about the elder who has no immediate family or friends to raise the alarm? What do they do? Where is the oversight? Lobbying Sacramento is one way to help reel in the mistreatment. But civility and empathy are the only way to end harm to our seniors. Obviously, there is a lot to this. Of course, there are many excellent care providers. But all it takes is one weak link in the chain, and the whole house of cards comes tumbling down. Be forever vigilant about the abuse of seniors. An elderly law abuse attorney can help even some of the odds, as noted above. If you need help with an elderly abuse law question, use our online contact form, or call Ehline Law Firm Personal Injury Attorneys, APLC at (213) 596-9642.

Injured Senior Citizen? Learn about the many forms of nursing home care facility and elderly abuse. (213) 596-9642.

Action Alert - Ehline Law Reports that Ontario man is sick over apparent abuse of an elderly parent Nurse hits woman The son shocked over the treatment of 85-year-old mother in a Peterborough, Ontario nursing home. And he is even more devastated that the house and its monster employees, will not be facing criminal charges. Although this case happened in Canada, we wanted to demonstrate that even in so-called "un-greedy" socialist countries, physical, mental and outright criminal abuse against patients is a widespread allegation. Some would argue that the state will go out of its way to protect fellow government agencies and health care providers from lawsuits or criminal charges in a state-run society. Is that the case here? Although this case happened in Canada, demonstrate that even in so-called "un-greedy" socialist countries, physical, mental and outright criminal abuse against patients is a widespread allegation. Son is "Sick" About the Treatment of His Elder Mother in a Care Home According to Camille Parent, he is sick about the fact that the nursing home will not be facing charges, even though video camera footage was shown, of his mother is what he termed “manhandled.” At one point the video shows a dirty cloth being "shoved" into his mother’s face. Although there are more than 5000 hours of video, see for yourself a few snippets of a feces-covered cloth into mother's face. Note she is an Alzheimer's patient. Parent said he is confused that no charges on the nursing home staff at St. Joseph’s at Fleming nursing home, where his mother is a resident. The woman identified by her son as Hellen MacDonald, a resident at the nursing home, also has dementia. He said that he began noticing scratches and bruises earlier this year on his 85-year-old mother. Parent said he made complaints to the management, but he continued to see injuries, so he placed a hidden camera in MacDonald’s room. During four days, Parent said the video showed his mother being mistreated by the nursing home staff. The abuse included: MacDonald maltreated while getting her diaper changed. A dirty cloth shoved in the 85 year-olds face by a staff employee. A nursing home employee is blowing his nose on MacDonald’s bed sheets. Two of the employees were making out in his mother’s room, while she was in bed. Another nursing home resident was entering the room and rummaging through his mother’s things. No Charges Against the Nursing Home—is it Special Protection for Elder Abuse? The police said they were not pressing charges. What does the parent want to know why? He wants to see charges and wants to know why the elderly in long-term care are not protected and why no charges filed. The Ministry of Health investigated the nursing home and found several violations of the Long-Term Care Act.  they fired the four employees from the video. That the parent feels the police have failed in providing any reasons for their decision, they didn't file any charges. The Crown Attorney invited him to a meeting on Friday. If there are no current laws that the nursing home and staff cannot be charged, Parent argues for stricter legislation  helping prevent similar types of abuse. MacDonald’s son stated that he has not decided whether he will ask another police force to conduct an independent investigation into the nursing home abuse. But If a Human Did this to A Dog, Charges Would Be Filed The son rightly points out in the above video, that if this kind of stuff were done to an animal, the person who did it would already be in jail. Ehline Law Firm agrees. "Since before and even more after 2008, it seems like the U.S.  revered its view on humanity.  "Fish, frogs, dogs, and people in the country illegally, appear to have special rights that are not even afforded to humans and citizens," said Michael P. Ehline, who went on to say, "it is like Bizarro World from Superman." Does anyone doubt what the son is saying is true?  Watch the video! There is evidence of assault under California criminal and civil law.  Furthermore, there was an unconsented-to touching, that resulted in bruising and harm, there is even video evidence. In addition, there was also mental and physical anguish inflicted upon the woman. What more do the police need?  Ehline Law encourages you to share this article with your local Canadian and U.S. Lawmaker.  As an aside, in California, we have the Elder, and Dependent Adult Abuse laws and Ehline says: "there is no doubt that these nurses would be in jail, and that civil tort claims would already be working their way in the courts if this took place here"! The moral of the story is, get out there and support the son. Furthermore, this is shameful treatment of our seniors.  It could be your mom or dad next! In conclusion, take action. Sources: Police not laying charges over St. Joseph’s at Fleming footage: https://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/4067925-police-not-laying-charges-over-st-joseph-s-at-fleming-footage/

The nurse's plea raises a spotlight on the working conditions of nurses and the stress patients as well as caretakers undergo.

Pressure sores stages are many. Pressure wounds commonly are found on feet. So when looking, doctors view for pressures sores on heels. Prosecutors are looking for abuse look at pressure sores pictures. And this brings us to the million-dollar question. What are pressure sores causes? Many sons and daughters have suspicions over their parent's care. After all, mom and dad are seniors now. They are in elder care facilities and ready to pass into twilight. One question families ask nursing home abuse attorneys is, "are these pressure sores common?" Or "is it normal for my parents to look so bad?" So to answer these questions, specific signs of abuse versus typical wounds that would happen anyway. Causes of pressure sores can be conventional or due to abuse. Obviously, if the elder has broken down skin tissue, it can turn into an open pressure sore. So this article discusses the causes and symptoms of pressure sores. These ailments affect many seniors under nursing care. Decubitus Ulcer Graph. Enlargement and pressure ulcer injury. Table of Contents: Adults with Pressure Sores Potential Health Conditions that Lead to Pressure Sores Skin is Delicate Where does Broken Skin Lead? Call Us Pressure Sores in Older Adults. Few health conditions can cause pressure sores absent good care. Pressure sores appear on mature adults if confined to a bed or a wheelchair. And most of the time, they do not have assistance to move. In particular, pressure sores on toes can keep a person bedridden. So circulation gets cut off. Most of all, pressure from the bones cuts blood flow under the pinched skin. Common Locations for Pressure Sores. Bony areas such as the hip are common areas for sores. Also, the buttocks, the sides of the knees, heels, or shoulders are at risk. Circulation gets cut off by the weight of the bones. So sandwiched skin gets impinged between two hard surfaces. One, the bone, and two, a bed or a wheelchair, for example. The skin on the aged adult is delicate. And it can become damaged quickly from the loss of circulation. Unless you take steps, such as using pillows, the risks increase. Nurses must use lambswool on the heels and between the knees. So caretakers must take steps to stop pressure sores from forming. Keep the Skin Clean and Moist. One of the ways to keep pressure sores from forming is proper skincare. Most of all, you must keep your skin clean and moist. And you must maintain excellent blood circulation. Maintain Blood Circulation. Improved circulation means moving a bedridden patient at intervals. Also, doing a daily range of motion exercises helps. In any case, this allows nutrients and blood cells to circulate. And it lets the skin breathe easier. Methods to Help Blood Circulation. Nurses have many tools available to care for ailing patients. To help with human blood flow, proven and secure methods exist. Placing a pillow or lambswool between the knees is a proven method to improve the blood flow through the circulatory system. Most of all, this keeps the bones in the knees from pressing against the skin of the opposite knee. But this is one example of how impingements can stop circulation. Broken Skin Is a Sign of Serious Injuries. Illness such as a stroke can confine an older person to bed or a wheelchair. By and large, this is due to paralysis. Signs of the breaking down skin are visible. First, the skin will exhibit red spots. And if poor circulation continues, the skin turns deep red, black, or purple. Also, it tends to hide, and then the tissue underneath will die from lack of circulation. Unique Risks Inherent in Seniors. The loss of circulation at any age can cause problems. But in the aged person, it worsens. All things considered, older skin is delicate. And it will break down much faster than someone younger. If the home health agency has elders with pressure sore signs, this is a red flag. So this might be the time to question changing health care providers. Pressure sores treatment should all have been at play before it got to this point. But voice these concerns to a lawyer experienced in elder abuse laws. This person can hold the personal care agency liable under the law. Get Help. Contact an experienced elder abuse lawyer for help. Call (213) 596-9642.