What to know about pressure injuries
Anyone who cannot easily change position is at risk, at any age. That includes people recovering from a hip fracture or major surgery, people with a spinal cord injury or advanced multiple sclerosis who use a wheelchair full time, people weakened by a stroke, and people in the later stages of dementia or another serious illness.
Loss of feeling matters as much as loss of movement. Someone with nerve damage may not notice the ache that tells the rest of us to shift. Very thin people have less padding over bone. People who wear oxygen tubing, splints, braces or casts can develop the same kind of injury wherever a device presses on skin. Several of these risks often appear together in one person.
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.
Pressure injury and bed sore care in O’Fallon
From O’Fallon, a specialist appointment can mean a long car ride each way. For someone with a pressure injury on the tailbone or hip, that ride is extra time sitting on the wound, followed by a waiting room chair. Having a partner clinician come to the home or senior living community takes that sitting out of the picture. Gateway confirms visit availability for the address first, then schedules and follows up on dressing and equipment orders.
O’Fallon is the largest city in St. Charles County and a place that has grown quickly. It spreads across both sides of Interstate 70 and south to Interstate 64, with Highway K connecting the two highways. Much of the city is newer subdivisions, schools and shopping areas, but the families who moved here years ago are getting older, and many have brought parents to live nearby. In a city this spread out, very little is within walking distance, so care that comes to the home or facility saves a lot of driving.
Care at home
Many people with a pressure injury at home also have a home health agency involved. When that is the case, the wound orders from the treating clinician need to reach the home health nurse, and the nurse’s observations need to reach the clinician. Gateway helps pass that information in both directions so the family is not left carrying messages.
If no home health agency is in place, tell us who is available to help: a spouse, adult children, a paid aide or no one. The treating clinician can decide whether to order home health nursing, and the plan can be shaped around the help that really exists.
Care in skilled nursing and assisted living
People often arrive at a rehabilitation center with a pressure injury that began in the hospital, or with fragile skin after surgery and days in bed. Therapy adds a new question: how long can the person sit in a wheelchair or on a mat without harming the wound? The treating clinician, nursing staff and therapists work that out together.
Rehab stays are short, so planning for what comes next begins early. Gateway can help arrange for wound care to continue after discharge, whether the person goes home or to another facility, so that orders, records and supplies follow them and care does not start over.
Signs to tell the clinician about
Some of the most useful reports are not about the wound at all. They are about changes that put more pressure or moisture on the skin. Let the treating clinician know when:
- A new area of discolored skin appears somewhere else on the body
- The person can no longer shift, turn or tolerate a position they used before
- Incontinence starts or gets worse, or dressings keep getting soiled
- An air mattress, cushion or heel protector stops working or is not being used
- Eating or drinking drops off, or weight is falling
These are not emergencies. Call 911 for chest pain, trouble breathing, heavy bleeding or sudden unresponsiveness.
Why primary care matters here
Several everyday medical issues affect how much pressure the skin takes. Medications that cause drowsiness can reduce the small movements a person makes while sitting or sleeping. Untreated pain makes people hold still and resist turning. Diarrhea, urinary infections and constipation with leakage keep skin wet. Stiff, contracted joints limit the positions a person can use.
A primary care clinician can review the medication list, pain control, bowel and bladder problems and whether therapy would help with mobility. Do not stop or change a medication on your own. Bring the concern to the clinician, and ask Gateway to share it with the wound care team as well.
How to get started in O’Fallon
People asking about pressure injury care in O’Fallon usually want to know what the first visit involves. Before it, Gateway collects the records the treating clinician asks for and confirms the time and place with you. During it, the clinician looks at the wound and the skin around it, measures it, asks about your health and medications and explains what they recommend. Afterward, the orders go to whoever does the daily care, supplies are requested and a follow-up is planned. Our guide to how mobile wound care visits work has more. To begin, call 314-325-0126. Whether a visit can be arranged is confirmed for your location.
Say O’Fallon, Missouri when you call or leave a message, because there is also an O’Fallon in Illinois, and the region Gateway covers includes the Metro East. Give the street address, the ZIP code (63366 or 63368), a phone number and the name of the regular doctor. Gateway also arranges care in St. Peters, Lake St. Louis, Wentzville, Dardenne Prairie and Cottleville. O’Fallon is large, so the specific address matters when visit days are confirmed with a partner clinician.
- County: St. Charles County, Missouri
- ZIP codes: 63366, 63368
- Nearby hospitals: Progress West Hospital in O'Fallon; Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital; SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital in Lake Saint Louis (not affiliated with Gateway)
- Nearby communities: St. Peters, Lake St. Louis, Wentzville, Dardenne Prairie, Cottleville
- 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 O'Fallon page.
- Diabetic foot ulcers
- Venous leg ulcers
- Arterial and mixed wounds
- Non-healing wounds
- Post-surgical wounds
- Reopened (dehisced) surgical wounds
- Surgical site infections
- Skin tears and traumatic wounds
- Wounds with lymphedema
- Skin graft aftercare
- Wound VAC (NPWT) follow-up
- Pressure injury and bed sore care in St. Peters
- Pressure injury and bed sore care in Lake St. Louis
- Pressure injury and bed sore care in Wentzville
Common questions
How do we start pressure injury care for a family member in O’Fallon?
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.
What is debridement, and will my family member need it?
Debridement means removing dead tissue from a wound so healthy tissue can grow and infection is less likely. There are several methods, some using dressings or ointments and some done by a clinician with instruments. Not every pressure injury needs it, and in some situations it is avoided. The treating clinician decides whether, when and how, and will explain the reasons.
Can a wound care clinician come to a home in O’Fallon 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.
Can a senior living community in O’Fallon set up visits for several residents?
Yes. Nursing directors and wellness staff at senior living, assisted living and skilled nursing communities in O’Fallon can refer one resident or several. Gateway works with the staff on visit days, orders, supplies and documentation, and each resident or family decides whether to take part. The treating clinician makes the clinical decisions for each resident. Facilities can call 314-325-0126 or fax 314-786-7966.
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.