Bruises: A Common Sign of Nursing Home Abuse
Bruises on your loved ones in a nursing home can be a key indicator of abuse. Here are some things to look for:
- Bruises in a pattern that would suggest restraints
- Bruises in clusters or regular patterns in areas such as the neck or groin
- Bruises that reappear
A bruise is a traumatic injury of the soft tissues that results in breakage of the local capillaries and leakage of red blood cells. In the skin, bruising can be seen as a reddish-purple discoloration that does not blanch when pressed upon. A bruise can sometimes be associated with a temporary raised area in the skin. When a bruise fades, it becomes green and brown as the body metabolizes the blood cells and bilirubin pigment in the skin. A bruise is best treated with local application of a cold pack immediately after injury.
A bruise is medically termed a contusion. Bruises are typically a result of some degree of injury to the blood vessels in the skin. Local leakage of blood into the skin from the capillaries that occurs spontaneously, without injury, results in a flat, purplish discolored area referred to as ecchymosis.
Bruises Symptoms
- Initially, a fresh bruise may actually be reddish. It will then turn blue or dark purple within a few hours, then yellow or green after a few days as it heals.
- A bruise is commonly tender, and sometimes even painful for the first few days, but the pain usually goes away as the color fades.
- Because the skin is not broken in a bruise as with a scrape or cut there is no risk of infection.
