Graphic images showing horrific pressure injuries suffered by an elderly woman allegedly neglected while in residential care have been shown at the Royal Commission into Aged Care. Shirley Fowler, 92, developed pressure ulcers on both her feet in 2017 that were initially missed by inadequately trained staff and became infected. One foot was so seriously injured it exposed bone and developed harmful necrotic tissue shown to the commission in photographs. Mrs Fowler then developed contractures in her legs, which resulted in the freezing of a limb in a foetal position due to the atrophy of muscles. She is now immobile and can only move her eyes, which may have been avoided if she had received physiotherapy and massaging, Mrs Fowler’s daughter Lyndall told the commission in Darwin on Tuesday.
