Nursing home falls pose substantial risk of injury

According to U.S. health officials, about a third of all falls involving seniors result in an injury, and many of these injuries can have a devastating long term impact on their quality of life. In nursing homes, falls can often be prevented if proper precautions are taken.

>>INFORMATION: Nursing home falls

The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report last week which evaluated the risk of falls among the elderly by surveying 92,808 individuals 65 years and older. The researchers found that about one in six elderly Americans have fallen in the past three months, and 30% of those falls involved an injury requiring medical treatment or limitations on activities.

For the elderly and frail, even a minor fall injury can have a severe impact on their quality of life and independence. Even if a full recover is made from the injuries, it is not uncommon for fear of another fall to lead to social isolation and depression.

Hip fractures are perhaps the most common injury caused by a nursing home fall. Estimates indicate that around 75% of individuals who suffer a hip fracture never return to their prior level of function and as many as 25% die within a year of the hip fracture.

Although the CDC report on senior falls did not focus on injuries in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, some of the interesting findings from the research include:

• 5.8 million people over 65 (approximately 16%) have fallen within the last three months
• 1.8 million (5%) have been injured in a fall over the past three months
• 30% of those who fell sustained an injury requiring medical treatment or limitations on activities
• More women than men report having suffered a fall injury (36% of older women who fell were injured, compared to 25% of men)
• The risk of a fall increases with age

NURSING HOME INJURY LAWYERS

The nursing home lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. review potential lawsuits for severe injuries which occur in a long-term care facility that could have been prevented. Although seniors have an overall increased risk of falling, that does not relieve a nursing home from taking proper precautions and making sure that the facility is safe and free of hazards which could increase the risk of falls.

Federal nursing home regulations require that every resident have an assessment done on a regular basis. Part of the written care plan should describe the functional capacity of the resident and assess their risk for a fall. Based on these assessments, proper precautions and safety measures must be taken to help reduce the risk of an injury. Increased supervision, assistive devices, call buttons, bed rails, floor mats and alarms to notify staff when a resident attempts to move without assistance, are some of the steps which can be taken to reduce the risk of a nursing home fall.

If you believe that an injury suffered by a friend or loved one in a nursing home could have been caused by neglect or a failure of the facility to take proper steps to ensure their safety, request a free nursing home lawsuit evaluation.