Pressure Injury Care in Alton and the Riverbend

Understanding pressure injuries

Pressure injuries change slowly, and the early changes can be confusing. Damage that started deep may take days to show on the surface, so a wound can look worse at first even while care is going well. Dead tissue has to clear before new tissue can grow.

Healing happens from the base upward as the wound fills in and the edges draw together. The treating clinician tracks this with measurements at each visit, because week-to-week change is hard to judge by eye. Once closed, scar tissue forms over the area, and it is weaker than the original skin, so the same spot can break down again. Protecting that area continues long after the wound has closed.

What the treating clinician looks at

A pressure injury care plan depends on the whole person, so the treating clinician reviews more than the skin. Expect questions about how much the person can move without help, whether they can feel and report discomfort, how often skin is exposed to moisture, and how well they have been eating and drinking.

The clinician also asks what the person and family want from care. For one person the aim is to close the wound. For another, who is very frail, the aim may be to keep the wound stable, clean and comfortable. Being honest about what caregivers can manage each day helps the clinician write a plan that will be followed.

Arranging this care in the Riverbend

For people in the Riverbend, pressure injury care often starts with an Illinois hospital discharge and an Illinois health plan. Illinois Medicaid and its managed care plans work differently from Missouri plans, and rules for wound visits, dressings and support surfaces vary. Before scheduling, Gateway confirms which partner clinician can see the person at an Illinois address and what the plan requires. Doing this first lowers the chance that a mattress or supply order is delayed later.

The Riverbend is the name people give to the cluster of Illinois towns where the Mississippi swings east near its meeting with the Missouri: Alton, Godfrey, East Alton, Wood River, Bethalto, Roxana and Hartford. They share a river, a long history of industrial work and a set of state highways. They differ a great deal on the ground, from bluff-top neighborhoods to flat blocks of small houses to open country north of Godfrey. In every one of them, people who cannot travel easily still need wound care and regular medical follow-up, and that is the part Gateway arranges.

At home between visits

Most pressure injury care happens in the hours between visits. Someone has to change the dressing as ordered, help the person turn, keep skin clean after incontinence and look over the bony areas for new color changes. Before the clinician leaves, ask who is expected to do each task and what to do if a dressing comes loose early.

A simple written log helps. Note position changes, dressing changes and anything that looks different, and show it at the next visit so the clinician can see what the days are really like. Call Gateway at 314-325-0126 if supplies are running short or a visit needs to be moved.

For residents of nursing and senior living communities

Assisted living communities are not staffed like nursing homes, and that shapes pressure injury care. Aides may help with bathing and transfers, but skilled dressing changes are often done by a visiting home health nurse or, where the community’s license allows, by its own nurse.

When Gateway arranges a wound visit in assisted living, we ask early who handles each part: dressing changes, repositioning, incontinence care and equipment. The treating clinician’s orders are shared with the community’s nurse or director, the home health agency if one is involved, and the family. A resident who now needs far more hands-on help may prompt a wider talk about the level of care.

Signs to tell the clinician about

An infected pressure injury can make the whole body sick, and in frail older adults the first sign is often a change in behavior, not a change in the wound. Contact the treating clinician promptly about:

Fever or shaking chills
Redness, warmth or swelling spreading out from the wound
Pus or cloudy drainage
Pain that is new or clearly worse
New confusion, unusual sleepiness or refusing food and drink

Call 911 if the person is very confused or unresponsive, is breathing fast or with difficulty, or looks suddenly and seriously ill.

How primary care fits in

The body builds new tissue from what a person eats and drinks, and a pressure injury raises the demand. Someone who has lost weight, eats only a few bites at meals, has trouble swallowing or has poorly fitting dentures may not be taking in enough protein, calories or fluid to keep up.

A primary care clinician can look for the reason appetite has fallen, review weight over time and decide whether a dietitian or a swallowing evaluation would help. Gateway can arrange primary care in the same home or facility where wound visits take place, so the clinician who orders the dressing and the clinician who looks at nutrition are working from the same information.

Primary care at home in the Riverbend →

Arranging pressure injury care in the Riverbend

Setting up pressure injury care for someone in the Riverbend usually goes in this order:

You call 314-325-0126 or send the request care form, which asks only for a name and phone number.
Gateway talks with you about the wound, the address and the insurance.
We confirm availability for that location and gather records for the treating clinician.
The clinician visits, assesses the wound and writes the orders.
We follow up on supplies, the next visit and communication with your other clinicians.

You do not need a confirmed diagnosis to start.

Because the Riverbend covers several towns, start a call with the town and ZIP code, such as 62002 for Alton, 62035 for Godfrey, 62024 for East Alton, 62095 for Wood River or 62010 for Bethalto. Add a phone number, the care setting and the regular doctor, and mention that the address is in Illinois. Availability is confirmed town by town. Gateway also arranges care in Edwardsville and Granite City, which helps when relatives live elsewhere in Madison County.

County: Madison County, Illinois
ZIP codes: 62002, 62035, 62024, 62095, 62010
Nearby hospitals: Alton Memorial Hospital; OSF Saint Anthony's Health Center in Alton (not affiliated with Gateway)
Nearby communities: Alton, Godfrey, Illinois, Edwardsville, Granite City
Care settings: Private homes, skilled nursing, assisted living, memory care and rehabilitation

Other conditions and nearby communities

Read the full guide to pressure injuries, or see everything Gateway arranges on the mobile wound care in the Riverbend page.

Common questions

Can a wound care clinician come to a home in the Riverbend to look at a bed sore?

Gateway arranges home visits by partner clinicians for people with pressure injuries, and availability is confirmed by location and care setting. When you call 314-325-0126, we ask for the address, whether the person is at home or in a facility, and who is already involved in their care. We then tell you what can be arranged for that address.

How do we start pressure injury care for a family member in the Riverbend?

Call Gateway or send the request form with a name and phone number only. You do not need a referral to call. On the phone we will ask where the person lives, how long the sore has been there, which hospital or doctor has seen it and what insurance they have. From there we gather records and work on scheduling with a partner clinician.

Can sitting in a wheelchair or recliner cause a pressure injury?

Yes. Sitting puts much of the body’s weight on a small area under the sitting bones and tailbone, so pressure injuries can form in a chair as readily as in a bed. People who sit most of the day need a suitable cushion and regular changes of position. The treating clinician can advise on the cushion and on how long the person should sit at a stretch.

How soon can a first visit happen in the Riverbend?

It depends on the town, the care setting, the partner clinician’s schedule and how quickly records arrive, so Gateway does not promise a timeframe. Having the address, the regular doctor’s name and any discharge papers ready when you call helps us move faster. Gateway is not an emergency service. If the problem cannot wait, call the doctor or 911.

General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.