Nursing Home Falls and Abuse
Placing a loved one in a nursing home is complex for many families. Often, it is shrouded with unease over the specter of nursing home abuse. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. Learning about where the danger lies may help.
Falls in the Elderly
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals over 65 experienced about 29 million accidents involving a fall in 2014. This resulted in 800,000 hospitalizations. Approximately 27,000 people died as a result of a fall. Of all deaths from falls, 20 percent were among nursing home residents. The incidence of falls in nursing homes is approximately 65 percent greater than for individuals in the same age group in the community. Falls remain the most significant cause of death due to injury and reason for hospitalization due to trauma.
Nursing Home Falls
With more than 1.5 million people living in nursing homes, over 1,800 nursing home residents die annually due to falls. Generally, residents experience 2.6 falls each year. Nursing home residents are frailer than people their age in the community, mainly due to lack of exercise and subsequent muscle weakness. This can result in serious injury that further limits their mobility and decreases their independence. Fractures, including hip fractures, are a common consequence of falling.
Reasons Falls Happen
Overall, nursing home residents are more physically restricted than non-nursing home residents. This results in gait disturbances and a lack of muscle strength. Both account for nearly 24 percent of all falls. Shoes that do not fit properly or need foot care are other reasons residents are more likely to fall.
Environmental Hazards
Hazards in the nursing home environment result in up to 27 percent of falls. These include:
- Wet floor surfaces
- Problems with the height of beds
- Inadequate lighting
- Poor nursing home layout
Lack of Support
To compensate for age-related weakness, nursing homes may fail to provide assistance in various ways.
- Wheelchairs, canes, and walkers that have not been adjusted for the person’s height
- Failure to provide handrails in bathrooms and grab bars in patient rooms; lack of guardrails on the bed
- Ability to call staff from the person’s bed for assistance
- Lack of support when exercising
- Lack of staff support when getting in and out of bed or using the bathroom
- Failure to train residents on how to use a wheelchair or walker properly
- Understaffing
Medication Use and Falls
The use of medications such as sleeping pills and relaxants can cause dizziness. The central nervous system affecting drugs should be monitored carefully. Changing medication amounts or types is often related to an increased incidence of falls. As reported by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, polypharmacy profoundly affects falling. When the resident takes single or multiple drugs, a fall-risk assessment should be done initially. Repeated assessments should follow this when medications are changed or added. An attorney with experience in nursing home abuse would review the medication administration record (MAR) and nursing assessments.
Watch Youtube Video ~ Overmedicated and Misinformed. Learn how one patient suffered overmedication from the anti-psychotic drug Haldol. This drug was given without patient or family consent.
Liability in a Nursing Home Setting
Nursing homes owe a duty of care to residents. When it comes to falling, multiple levels of responsible forethought are involved. Making sure that the premises are safe is a good starting point. Educating the staff about the risks common to falls and presenting ways to prevent them is another. It is also essential to have a medication review system in place.
A legal remedy can be sought when the nursing home fails to do this, and a resident dies or is injured due to the lack of care. An experienced injury lawyer uses expert consultants to determine if violations of care were involved in the fall.
Additional Articles by Sacramento Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Ed Smith:
Sacramento Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento nursing home abuse lawyer. If you suspect a loved one was injured or died due to nursing home abuse, contact me for friendly and free advice. You can reach me at (916) 921-6400 locally or (800) 404-5400. If you’d prefer, contact me online.
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