Nova Scotia's two opposition parties are pushing the government to enact legislation to address the serious problem of bedsores among nursing home residents.

The New Democratic Party and the Progressive Conservative Party have introduced their own bills on the issue and a family at the heart of the issue supports them.

Dorothy Dunnington thinks of her sister, Chrissy, and she smiles, but there tears in her eyes as she looks over photos of her sister.

Chrissy, who had special needs, died at the age of 40 this past March because of an untreated pressure ulcer that developed while she was living in a Halifax long-term care home.

“I’m optimistic that some things will get better,” Dunnington said. “I think that we have a long way to go, but I am optimistic, I think people want change.”

When the provincial Progressive Conservative Party approached her for input into a new bill to prevent pressure sores, she offered the family's recommendations.

That bill was introduced Friday morning and it was titled "An Act Respecting the Prevention of Pressure Sores in Long-Term Care Facilities.”

The bill would require long-term care facilities to provide air beds to patients with severe pressure sores and refer patients to wound-care specialists.

“People reach out to us who’ve had family members die because they've reached stage four pressure sore ulcers that caused infections that have caused people to die,” said PC Health Critic Eddie Orrell. “It should never get to that stage.”

The provincial New Democrats have also tabled their own bill on the issue.

“We have to make sure we have enough people working in nursing homes to look after the people who live there, and we have to have a government that is not secretive about what's going on in nursing homes,” said NDP leader Gary Burrill.

The province's minister of health says government is working on addressing concerns, tracking bed sores, providing wound-care training, and making prevention and treatment equipment more accessible.

It also appointed an expert panel to study the issue.

“We've taken action to get a better understanding of the scope of challenge in our nursing homes as well as put out resources to help improve the situation,” said Nova Scotia Health Minister Randy
Delorey.

If any law does come out of the legislature to prevent deaths from bed sores, Dorothy Dunnington would like it named after Chrissy.

“Chrissy was so special to everybody that knew her, and it would be an amazing way to honour her,” she said.

Delorey  says the panel looking into this as part of a larger review of long term care in the province is set to have its recommendations ready by the end of November.

Dunnington is hoping that panel consults with her and her family so they can have a say in any changes

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Heidi Petracek.