San Antonio Bedsores & Pressure Ulcer Attorney

Holding Nursing Homes Accountable for Neglect in Bexar County

Bedsores – also known as pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers – are almost always a red flag for nursing home neglect. In a professional care setting, these painful and dangerous injuries are largely preventable through standard repositioning and hygiene protocols. When a facility fails to provide this basic level of care, the results can be life-threatening.

At The Miller Law Firm, we represent nursing home residents and their families in San Antonio who have been harmed by medical and caregiver neglect. If your loved one has developed advanced bedsores, our legal team will investigate the facility’s staffing and care records to hold them responsible for their failure to protect your family member.

Why Bedsores Are a Sign of Nursing Home Neglect

Bedsores occur when prolonged pressure on the skin cuts off circulation, typically in residents with limited mobility. Because nursing homes are required by law to assess "at-risk" residents and implement prevention plans, the development of a severe pressure ulcer is often evidence of:

• Failure to Turn and Reposition: Federal and Texas guidelines typically require immobile residents to be repositioned at least every two hours.
• Understaffing: Facilities often cut costs by hiring fewer nursing assistants, leaving residents unattended for hours or days.
• Inadequate Hygiene: Leaving a resident in soiled clothing or bedding significantly increases the risk of skin breakdown and infection.
• Malnutrition and Dehydration: Without proper nutrients, a resident’s skin becomes more susceptible to tearing and slower to heal.

The Four Stages of Pressure Ulcers

In our practice, we often see neglect cases that have progressed to dangerous levels. Understanding the stages of an ulcer is critical for your legal claim:

• Stage 1 & 2: Redness, skin irritation, or shallow open sores. These are early warning signs that care is failing.
• Stage 3: The ulcer extends into the fatty tissue below the skin, forming a deep, crater-like wound.
• Stage 4: The most severe stage, where the wound reaches the muscle, tendon, or bone. These ulcers carry a high risk of Sepsis (blood poisoning) or Osteomyelitis (bone infection).