Elderly aunts bruised hand

[vegas888]

My aunt is in a care home, I visited her today and saw a massive bruise on her hand. I asked what had happened to one of the staff and she said she didn’t know but would get someone to call me.
I know elderly people bruise more easily but this looks horrendous.

I bruise really easily when having my blood taken, and the bruise spreads and goes yellow for days after. Could it be from that?

She’s unable to walk or stand so spends all day in her chair no sure how she’s banged it. The bruise covers most of the top of her hand and spreads up the outside of her arm.

How can it be a breach of her privacy if a photo of just her hand is shown?

Has she had blood taken? My whole hand is bruised when I have blood taken.

They haven’t said they’ve taken any blood, she has no health conditions and isn’t on any medication. Just today she looked extremely thin and the bruise looked bad.
I’m not worried from a safeguarding point of view as the home is lovely, just concerned from a health point of view. 😕

Please don't attach a photo.

Hopefully they will be able to call you and talk you through it.

Could it be that a member of staff as helped her either in to bed or to the bathroom and held her hand and it’s bruised?

My grandmother is 80 and is looked after at home by 3 carers she bruises very easily her arms can be covered in bruises some weeks. She needs help with most things so is often guided by the carers and even a gentle hold of the arm can cause a bruise even a hand mark.

You definitely should have asked hopefully she is all fine.

I would ask the staff, she may have knocked it, the staff should take a photo, record it in her file, carry out a risk assessment and fill in an incident firm for bruising.

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow no one said it conferred any legal rights. I assume it was mentioned because that is the standard procedure in many care of the elderly type settings, to inform NOK of any trips, falls or other notable incidents.

Elderly people do bruise so easily and it sometimes appears there is no reason for it. My late mum would get terrible bruises on the backs of her hands & forearms just from bumping up against the edge of a table or something being accidentally knocked against her. A slight cat scratch looked like she'd been beaten with a stick! Once she was being readied by a carer and she accidentally (I was watching, it WAS an accident) bumped Mum on her cheek with a hairbrush whilst she was fixing her hair. Mum ended up with a shiner! Do give the facility a chance to explain. If nothing else it will also make them aware that you are watching and that perhaps they need to review their patient safety procedures.

I'm not saying nothing ever happens, my Auntie was attacked by another resident in her care home when no one was watching and eventually died because of it.

I've always bruised easily, so did my mother and her mother. I get bruises on my legs and have no idea how they happened. I've had spectacular ones following a fall and hitting my back, and after abdominal surgery. So it could be that your aunt just does bruise. Keep an eye on her and ask the staff to do the same.

It might not be suspicious but someone should have noticed and taken action about it. Bruises that appear out of nowhere should be checked, especially one that big.

[quote AwaAnBileYerHeid]@MissLucyEyelesbarrow no one said it conferred any legal rights. I assume it was mentioned because that is the standard procedure in many care of the elderly type settings, to inform NOK of any trips, falls or other notable incidents.[/quote]
My point is that there is no legal definition of NOK (outside particular statutes, e.g. the Mental Health Act, which don't apply here). The OP is therefore not legally recognised as the NOK and has no right to be informed..

Care Homes may choose to share this sort of information with relatives on a best interests basis, if a resident lacks capacity, but there is no obligation to do so. PPs suggesting that the Care Home has done anything wrong in not informing the OP are incorrect.

My MIL used to get horrendous bruises and it took very little for them to form. All she needed to do was bang the back of her hand on a door or table edge and it would go right up her arm.

@Thelnebriati

It might not be suspicious but someone should have noticed and taken action about it. Bruises that appear out of nowhere should be checked, especially one that big.

This. Do they use equipment with her? Has it happened then in which case maybe someone has not done moving and handling properly and needs more training. This could still be a safeguarding issue as not all harm caused is deliberate and it needs to be investigated. If can't explain they should get her checked by gp.

I looked after my MIL, who was in her 90s, for 3 years. Her skin was paper thin and if I helped her out of bed/ bath by gripping her forearms even very lightly the bruising was horrendous. Also the slightest knock looked as though someone had taken a hammer to her. I lived in fear of the family accusing me of abuse but fortunately her Dr explained to her daughter and son.

There's very little protection on the back of the hand, so with frail people I've seen some nasty bruises result from reaching out for a cup, or to point and catching a hand on a table or bed rail (even with a bumper) for example, if I find one on a resident I will ask them how it happened and check the care plan, but unfortunately they don't always know and it's not always been witnessed, a body map is filled out and an entry in the care plan on the day and time discovered with a note to say the cause is unknown. If I witness something that may cause a bruise, I record it in the care plan. It may be that the care worker you spoke to doesn't know and the cause is genuinely unknown, but there should be a record of when discovered etc.

Ensure though, that the weight loss has been picked up on and actioned. They'll need to be recording intake for any HCP to review and put an appropriate plan in place.

@EleanorOlephantisjustfine

Put a covert camera in her room.

Oh don't be ridiculous. Apart from invading the privacy of staff members, and your Aunt who from the sound of it cannot consent to this, how about not being judge jury and executioner before even getting an explanation?

@Iquitit

There's very little protection on the back of the hand, so with frail people I've seen some nasty bruises result from reaching out for a cup, or to point and catching a hand on a table or bed rail (even with a bumper) for example, if I find one on a resident I will ask them how it happened and check the care plan, but unfortunately they don't always know and it's not always been witnessed, a body map is filled out and an entry in the care plan on the day and time discovered with a note to say the cause is unknown. If I witness something that may cause a bruise, I record it in the care plan. It may be that the care worker you spoke to doesn't know and the cause is genuinely unknown, but there should be a record of when discovered etc.

Ensure though, that the weight loss has been picked up on and actioned. They'll need to be recording intake for any HCP to review and put an appropriate plan in place.

This is great advice.

Homes may not ring NOK for bruises as honestly they would be calling someone multiple times a day. But it should be recorded - as should her weight.

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I’ve no safeguarding issues with the home, aunt has been there a couple of years and it’s certainly one of the best in our area. I’m just shocked as I have never seen her with a bruise.

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Any chance she's had a blood test?

They haven’t said so but I’m sure they are so busy at the moment and possibly short staffed and don’t have the time to inform me or maybe they think it’s not something I need to be notified about.

That is an enormous bruise and an unusual shape-almost looks like it has straight edges. I would want to talk to someone about that.