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Nursing home staff are responsible for the welfare of their residents. Part of this responsibility includes preventing falls. Unfortunately, many nursing homes and other long-term care facilities choose profits over patient safety. When this happens, there’s often a lack of staff and poor or few safety measures put into place to prevent falls.
Common Causes of Falls in Nursing Homes
There are many reasons why a nursing home resident may fall. Sometimes it’s because of the physical or mental state of a resident. Other times falls occur because of a lack of proper equipment, poor facility management, or hazardous conditions. Below are some common causes of nursing home falls.
- Understaffing.
- Lack of oversight.
- Equipment or other supplies left in hallways or doorways.
- Improper footwear.
- Poor lighting.
- Wet floors.
- Misplaced rugs.
- Lack of railings.
- Medications.
- Diseases such as dementia, arthritis, or other physically debilitating diseases.
When a nursing home is understaffed, the nurses and caregivers are unable to adequately care for all the residents. They are often overworked and underpaid, which can lead to resident falls and other negligent acts. Understaffing also leads to a lack of oversight. Nurses and other care professionals are unable to spend sufficient time with each resident. Ultimately, an understaffed facility is a sign of a poorly managed one.
Types of Injuries from Nursing Home Falls
The severity of an injury is dependent on the circumstances surrounding a fall. A resident who trips on a rug may fall headfirst and sustain a head injury while a resident who is dropped by staff while being moved may suffer lacerations and/or broken bones. Below are some common injuries because of falls.
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Concussion
- Fractures/sprains
- Broken Bones
- Cuts or lacerations
- Spinal injuries
Elderly people and people with disabilities are more at risk of falling because of issues such as poor balance, Alzheimer’s or Dementia, and the use of multiple medications. Osteoporosis and other diseases make elderly patients more susceptible to broken bones. Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities should incorporate safety measures to prevent falls.
What Should Nursing Homes Be Doing to Prevent Falls?
Nursing home facilities should conduct thorough fall risk assessments and then implement strategies to address identified risks. An adequate fall prevention program can help prevent, or at least reduce, the number of falls. Some strategies to prevent falls may include the following:
- Staff training in fall prevention techniques.
- Create and implement a fall prevention strategy.
- Implement railings and grab bars in necessary areas.
- Use adequate lighting, especially in high-traffic areas.
- Implement rules for guests who have children or pets.
- Declutter rooms and common areas.
- Clear walkways from wires, cords, frayed rugs, or other tripping hazards.
- Ensure proper equipment is used such as Hoyer lifts when moving patients.
- Regular maintenance of lifts and other equipment.
- Ensure furniture and toilets are of proper height.
- Increased supervision.
- Appropriate staffing.
- Closely monitor medication side effects.
Why are Falls so Dangerous for an Elderly Person?
As we get older our bones lose strength and become more brittle. People also have a less active immune response as they age, which makes them more prone to infections. Simply put, an elderly person is more susceptible to injury and illness, and they can’t recover from an illness or injury as easily as a young person. Even a minor fall can result in a severe injury for an elderly person, and many elderly people who fall have other health issues that may exasperate after an injury.
Nursing Home Fall Statistics
- About half of nursing home residents in the U.S. fall each year.
- One in three of those who fall will fall two or more times in a year.
- One in every 10 residents who fall has a serious related injury.
- About 65,000 patients fracture a hip each year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among adults older than 65.
Contact Us. We Can Help!
If you, or a loved one, has been injured in a nursing home fall, Benton and Benton can help. Our experienced attorneys have secured millions of dollars in compensation for clients. Our attorneys are skilled litigators who are not afraid to take on nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. Get help with your nursing home abuse or neglect case today by calling us at 866-927-4290 for a free consultation.
