Nursing Home Falls

Falls in Nursing Homes and How to Help

As adults, we all think about our parents and how they are aging. The people who once lifted us, cared for us, and gave us the support that we needed to make our way in the world now need help to do many of the basic tasks that we take for granted. You want to do the best that you can for these remarkable people, including giving them the assistance that they need to lead full lives. After careful consideration, and in working with your parents to determine what they wanted for their future, you chose a nursing home that would provide the care and attention that they deserved. However, the trust that you placed in the nursing home administrators and staff has been violated and one of your parents has suffered from a serious fall that has left severely injured and you devastated. Despite the fact that the nursing home may have told you that these types of injuries are unavoidable as a person gets older, many times the fall was preventable and it was the negligence of the nursing home that led to the harm.

There are many reasons why falls happen in nursing homes. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that there are 1,800 falls in nursing homes each year that result in the death of the patient.  There are many more that lead to severe disability. Many times, a resident who suffers from a hip fracture or break as the result of a fall faces a higher mortality rate in the year following the injury. Stern Law, PLLC understands how traumatic a fall can be, as well as other harm that befalls nursing home residents, and will work with you to get the compensation that you need to care for your parent going forward. Nursing homes are big business right now as the aging baby boomer population needs additional care. It is imperative to ensure that the treatment that the older generation receives is of the highest caliber, which is why Ken Stern and his dedicated team is committed to holding the people responsible for your parent’s injury accountable for the harm that he or she experienced.

An Overview of Nursing Home Falls

It is possible to walk out your front door and slip and fall on some wet leaves that have fallen on the walkway or trip on a pet while in the home. Accidents do, of course, happen. However, in a nursing home, there are many more hazards than exist in a regular home setting and the staff has to be especially vigilant to safeguard the health and well being of its residents. A spill that is not promptly or properly cleaned up can lead to a terrible fall, particularly when you consider that the residents of a nursing home may suffer from a loss of mobility or balance and that bones become more fragile as people age. Equipment left sitting in a corridor can pose a tripping hazard. Improperly secured physical restraints can result in a fall from a bed or chair. There are many different causes of a dangerous fall in a nursing home where the staff is not careful in monitoring the environment and reacting to potential dangers.

Unfortunately, as devastating as a fall may be, the consequences of a fall are much further reaching than the immediate injury that is suffered by the nursing home resident. A fall may lead to muscle loss as the patient needs to be immobilized for long periods of time to recover from the injury. Residents who no longer can move around freely may suffer from debilitating depression. Infection may set into wounds or injuries caused by the fall. In addition, some fall victims develop pneumonia, leading to death for many patients, because of an inability to take deep breaths as a result of their immobility.

Some Troubling Statistics

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if current rates of aging and movement into nursing homes continue, more than three million people over the age of 65 will live in nursing homes by 2030. This is up from 1.5 million nursing home residents in 2003. A resident of a nursing home is four times more likely to die from a fall than a person of the same age group living outside of an assisted care facility. Although it is likely that many falls are not reported, for those that are, a nursing home with 100 beds reports an average of 100-200 falls each year. In a nursing home, fifty to seventy-five percent (50-75%) of its residents fall each year while adults living outside of this environment fall half as much. Of this large number of falls, thirty-five percent (35%) are experienced by residents who are unable to walk.

When residents fall in nursing homes, ten to twenty percent (10-20%) of the victims experience serious injuries and two to six percent (2-6%) have some type of fracture that results from the fall. Many nursing home residents are so afraid of falling that they will not move around in order to avoid injury, leading to social isolation, depression, and loss of motor function.

Causes of Nursing Home Falls

Although general muscle weakness and increasing fragility does lead to an increased number of falls in older adults, there are many other circumstances that result in terrible falls and which could have been prevented. These include:

• Environmental hazards in the nursing home, which include wet floors from spills or improper cleaning, misadjusted beds and chairs, insufficient lighting or bulbs that are not replaced, and wheelchairs that are not fitted for the resident or maintained properly. Debris in the corridors and improperly marked exit signs also may lead to an increased risk of falls;
• Medication errors or failure to accommodate side-effects from new medications or changes in dosages. There are many drugs that are administered to nursing home patients that lead to dizziness, sleepiness, and loss of motor function. The CDC reports that there is a significant increase in the number of falls the day after a resident has had a change in medication; or
• Improper care can lead to an increased number of falls. This may be the result of negligent transition of a resident to and from a bed or a chair, including a wheel chair. Failing to properly maintain or put together a walking aid may lead to a resident falling while attempting to use the assistance device. Moreover, a staff member who fails to put a resident’s shoes on properly or does not care for a patient’s feet may contribute to an increased risk of a fall.

Bed rails and improper restraints also result in a large number of serious falls. The use of bed rails as a restraint, as well as other physical restraints, is considered a medical treatment and requires the authorization of a doctor. Frequently, nursing home staff members fail to obtain the necessary orders and view the use of bed rails as a safety device without any real risk of harm. Unfortunately, this is not true and bed rails pose a very real risk of strangulation, asphyxiation, and falls from when residents try to climb over them. The falls while a resident tries to scramble over the rails are from a significantly greater height than a fall from a bed without rails. Both the United States Food and Drug Administration and the Hospital Bed Safety Work Group have warnings about the use of bed rails.

Preventing Falls in Nursing Homes

Although the elderly population of nursing homes does mean that there likely will be more falls than in a younger population, there are many preventable falls that were caused by negligence in the nursing home. There are many basic things that can be done to reduce this risk:

• Staff training – Many problems result from staff members who simply do not understand that they are doing something wrong. It is the obligation of a nursing home to ensure that its employees know the correct way to maintain the environment and care for the residents. Staff members also should have specialized training in how to prevent falls and what to do if a resident does fall;
• Patient assessment – Some residents are more likely to fall than others. There should be an individual assessment performed for each resident of a nursing home when they arrive at the facility, including what medications the individual is taking, whether he or she has a history of falls, and the general health status of each person;
• Physical fitness programs – One of the best ways to prevent falls or lessen the impact of a fall is to have residents strengthen muscle tone and balance through exercise, stretching, and physical therapy. These activities will increase stability and decrease the number and severity of falls.

There are many things that a nursing home can do to minimize the risk of harm from falls. However, many times the injuries occur because of nursing home neglect or outright abuse. If your parent has suffered serious harm from a fall, it is important to learn about his legal remedies in order to get him into a safe environment and get the compensation that he needs to regain his quality of life.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

If your parent has suffered a fall in a nursing home, it may be difficult to learn the true circumstances of what happened. However, with the assistance of the compassionate and dedicated attorneys at Stern Law, PLLC, it is possible to determine whether negligence contributed to the harm. Some things to think about include:

For other things to think about that may indicate general nursing home neglect and abuse, please see our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Stern Law, PLLC: Our Lawyers Make a Difference

It is so hard to watch our parents progress from vibrant adults to vulnerable senior citizens, but it is an unavoidable progression. It is our duty as loving children to watch out for our parents and make certain that they receive the best care possible. When you worked with them to select a nursing home where they were comfortable and cared for, it was with concern for their well being and overall happiness. When negligence or abuse at that facility leads to severe injuries despite your dedication, it is devastating for everyone involved. Stern Law, PLLC understands the gut-wrenching pain you felt when you learned that your mother or father was harmed. We know how to discover the truth of what happened, not matter how many obstacles the nursing home places in our way. We are committed to getting you answers and fighting for the compensation that your parent deserves.

A nursing home is supposed to be a safe haven for someone who has dedicated his or her life to caring for family. When that haven turns into a terrible nightmare that leads to physical harm and emotional trauma for your parent, I am here to help you get justice and hold the wrongdoers accountable. When I started Stern Law, PLLC, it was to redress these types of wrongs. I, Ken Stern, am available to answer your questions, discuss your parent’s injuries, and determine what can be done about it at any time, seven days a week. Please call our team at 1-877-469-7273 (1-877-4MYPARENT) to schedule a free consultation.