Care home slammed for maggots in bedsores

A nursery home in eastern Sweden has come under fire after it came to light that one of their patients developed infected bedsores after only a few days at the home.

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The care home, which is run by the local municipality, was reported to the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) by one of the man’s relatives, who reacted at the speed by which the man developed the ailments, according to daily Expressen.

In the early summer, ten days into his stay, the elderly man was found suffering from severe bedsores up to the knees on both of his legs.

The sores were infected, filled with fluid and bandages required to be changed on a regular basis.

After being treated at the nearby hospital, the care for the man’s sores was left to care home staff.

But according to the paper, fly-maggots were discovered in the sores by early autumn. And although staff flushed the maggots away, the problems persisted.

Doctors insisted on daily changes of the bandages but new sores were discovered on the man’s heel, chin and collarbone.

After looking into the matter the agency found that the maggots in themselves are not a sign of negligence on the part of the home, as flies often lay their eggs in wounds during the summer while they are being aired.

However, the agency also found that measures to treat the problem and to combat the further development of bedsores had not been implemented early enough and that staff should have looked after the wounds more carefully, reports the paper.

“As the National Board of Health and Welfare says - these things do occur. Of course we must do all we can to prevent it, but we can’t have a completely sterile environment in our care homes,” said Ture Morin of the local authorities to Expressen.

He conceded that once identified these problems should be dealt with quickly and efficiently, but maintained that from what the municipality had found, the treatment of the man had not been lacking.

The Local/rm
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