The Sun-Sentinel, based in Florida, reported the following:
- Untreated bedsores can be lethal.
- Pressure ulcers can develop in as little as three hours as a result of sitting or lying too long in the same position.
- Those who are bedridden are most at risk, including those in hospitals and long-term care facilities like nursing homes. The problem can occur in the home, as well.
- Ulcers develop quickly depending on how hard the surface is that you're on and how much fat padding a person has.
- Thin, frail individuals develop bedsores more quickly.
- Getting pressure off is absolutely key.
- The Journal of the American Geriatric Society estimates that an average 4-to-5 percent of patients develop pressure ulcers during a hospital stay, and the number is higher in long-term care facilities: 23 percent.