Pressure ulcer / bed sore / decubitus ulcer – all names for the same painful and life threatening “injury.” Why do I hesitate to call them injuries, because their cause is so unique. When pressure is placed on the skin, in a non active person for long enough, the lack of circulation will cause the tissue around the area to die. The results can be amazing, and so terrible. Today I learned that recent studies have found that on average, 300 people die a day from pressure ulcers. If one of these individuals is in a nursing home, that 1 is too many – wound records, skin checks, turning schedules, hydration should prevent these – and if one starts, you have many days to prevents it forming into a Stage III or Stage IV. Read this article – http://www.healthsentinel.com, and then, next time you are in an acute care setting with a loved one and are told they have a pressure ulcer – raise a stink, demand to see it and learn about its progress or healing. The last thing you want is to learn about it in the Emergency Room, and find out its too late to help.