Bronx, NY: A lawsuit has been filed in Bronx County Supreme Court on behalf of Verda Henry, who allegedly developed a bedsore (pressure sore, decubitus ulcer) while a resident at Sutton Park Center For Nursing & Rehabilitation in New Rochelle, NY. Ms. Henry was reportedly admitted to Sutton Place for short-term rehabilitation after she fell and injured her arm. She had expected to return home within a month.
Patricia Henry, the resident’s daughter, noticed the bedsore (pressure ulcer, decubitus ulcer) on her mother’s tailbone (or sacrum) while she changed her mother’s nightgown. Ms. Henry described the sore to Dorian Block at the Daily News by stating, “You could put your whole hand down in her back. You could see the bones and spinal cord. It was like raw meat. Mommy screamed until she couldn’t scream no more.”
As we have previously discussed on the New York Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog, a bedsore is a wound that normally develops over a bony prominence (sacrum, heels, shoulder blades) caused by unrelieved pressure on the skin. These sores are preventable except in very limited circumstances where a patient’s underlying condition causes the deterioration of the skin.
According to the resident’s daughter, the Sutton Park facility was not adequately staffed. She explained, “There would be a nurse and she would run between floors and they had no time. Nobody checked on her. Nobody fed her. Every time we asked to take her home there was a reason we couldn’t.” Ms. Henry reportedly died after the sacral ulcer became infected.
The attorneys at the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC provide aggressive representation to individuals who develop bedsores in nursing homes, hospitals, or at home while under the supervision of nurses or nurse’s aides. If you or a loved one has suffered or is suffering from the development of a painful pressure sore, please contact us.