What should I do if my parent has bed sores in a nursing home?

Ask for medical evaluation, photograph the wound if appropriate, request wound-care records, care plans, repositioning notes, nutrition records, and hospital records, and document when the facility first knew about the sore.

What to do now

Get appropriate medical care, document the resident's condition, save photos and records if appropriate, write down staff conversations, and avoid signing broad releases until you understand your options.

When to ask for legal review

Consider a prompt review if there was a serious injury, hospitalization, pressure injury, fracture, infection, dehydration, malnutrition, sexual or physical abuse concern, repeated falls, elopement, or death.

This website provides general legal information, not legal advice or medical advice. Contacting the site does not create an attorney-client relationship. Deadlines, liability, and reporting duties depend on the facts and the law in your state.

Editorial review

Written and reviewed for family clarity

Written by: Senior Justice Help Editorial Team, Family intake and nursing home records research team

Reviewed by: Aron Solomon, JD, Legal commentator, writer, and editor

Last updated: June 23, 2026

Pages are written for families, checked against public agency and legal-information sources, and reviewed for clarity, sourcing, and overclaiming. The site does not provide medical advice or legal advice.

Aron Solomon, JD, is listed by Muck Rack as a writer and editor with coverage areas including law, politics, marketing, business, and strategy. Reviewer details should be confirmed directly before launch.

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