I was appalled by the article on the Hilo veterans home (“Hilo veterans home fined again for failing to meet standards,” Star-Advertiser, July 26). I realize the entire medical community is short-staffed, but there should have been steps taken to eliminate infection from painful bed sores as just one process.

Normally a bedridden person is turned from side to side every two hours to prevent pressure sores. When an individual is left for hours in what appears to be soiled diapers, the skin will eventually break and the waste will cause a very painful and life-threatening infection.

By investing about $100 per bed for an inflatable mattress that has chambers that inflate alternately, as well as an extra pad for the diaper, a lot could have been avoided, since the facility is too understaffed to change the patient on a consistent basis.

When the change is finally made, it would only take less than a minute to apply a barrier cream to protect the skin. This is just one very simple fix that not only would have saved time in treating infections but would have prevented the pain and suffering the patients have to endure.

Ken Takeya

Kailua

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