Question on bed sores. Should I be concerned?

My mother got a 'bedsore' or a 'pressure sore' on her tailbone area NOT from lying in bed too much, but from sitting in her WHEELCHAIR in a certain position, with all 190 lbs of her weight pushing on that one area. Home health was sent out every other day to treat that wound.......it was not left up to the staff in her Memory Care AL. The pressure sore took at least 2 months to clear up, if I recall. She also needed a different gel cushion for her wheelchair and to be transferred into her recliner a few times a day, which would take the pressure off of her tailbone for a while. It takes a system to be put into place to get rid of a bed sore to heal it, and more importantly, to make sure it doesn't come back due to the same behavior repeating itself.

"Keeping her clean" is not the issue; the issue is that mom favors her right side while in bed and the pressure needs to be taken OFF of that area. A wedge cushion can be placed under that area, as one suggestion, or something of that kind. And she needs to be out of bed a lot more than she currently is. The wound itself needs to be kept clean and medicated and covered, and the bandage needs to be changed at least every other day. And not by just anyone; by staff who's specially trained in WOUND CARE or by Home Health sent out by Medicare.

Hoping for the best results for your mom.

They can go septic and people can die from them. Nursing homes can lose their licenses if they have too many bed sores and bed sores are reportable in most states. Yes, they may be inevitable when a patient is bed bound, not taking the best nutrition, more being moved often enough. They are often called "pressure sores" because it is the pressure that often causes them. They are very difficult to heal as in VERY VERY and they require wound care consults with experts; be certain that this is being done.

My husband was completely bedridden for the last 22 months of his life and never got a bedsore, except for one on his inner calf later in his journey that the hospice nurse didn't think was caused by undue pressure. She called it something else and I'm too far removed now to remember what it was.
There are bedsores called a Kennedy ulcer that often appear on the tailbone that are typically fatal, so I would find out exactly where this one is other than just on her butt.
Any bedsore not treated properly can lead to all kinds of issues so make sure that her facility is staying on top of things.

My mother spent four years in a NH post stroke with complete paralysis and never had a single bedsore. She was kept dry, up daily in wheelchair, and rotated in position every 3-4 hours. It’s a bad idea for your mom to be in bed so much, does she understand this? What I know now that we didn’t realize then, was that after strokes there is very often depression that needs treatment. This was the case for my mother but we didn’t realize it. Your mom may need treatment for this and far more encouragement to be up out of bed. In the end though, it does become her choice to refuse. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this and hope there is healing soon

A mattress that inflates and deflates constantly would be useful if she is resistant to staying out of bed.