Fall Injuries Because of Nursing Home Neglect

A nursing home lawyer knows that the national statistics concerning falls in nursing homes are alarming. Each year, the average nursing home reports approximately 200 incidents of patients sustaining injuries from falls. It is suspected there are many more incidents of falls that are not reported.

Elderly patients are four times more likely to sustain fatal injuries in falls if they live in a nursing home compared to elderly people who live on their own or with family.

Approximately 75 percent of nursing home patients fall each year, double the number of elderly who do not live in nursing homes. More than one-third of those falls happen to patients who are unable to walk.

Falls can cause serious injuries or even death to nursing home patients. Many of these falls are preventable and are only due to the negligence of nursing home staff who fail to keep watch over these at-risk patients. If your loved one has been injured in a fall, contact a trusted nursing home lawyer for help.

Proper Care

When a nursing home admits a new patient, they are required to document all of the patient’s physical limitations and provide that information to nursing home staff. It is also up to the facility to ensure that a patient has any and all equipment they need to get around safely, such as canes, walkers, or wheelchairs.

In addition to the proper equipment, the facility and its staff are responsible for making sure that there are no hazards or dangers that could cause a patient to fall. Should a patient fall, the family should be provided with a reasonable and acceptable explanation. If the facility should fail to do so, that is often a red flag that there may be something serious going on, such as neglect or abuse of patients.

Some of the more frequent injuries victims in these cases have suffered include:

• Bruises and contusions
• Dislocated joints
• Fractured bones
• Head injuries

Fall injuries can be devastating to a victim, often leading to other serious medical conditions. For example, one of the most common and painful types of fall injuries, hip fractures, often result in the victim developing infections or other complications which can ultimately be fatal.

Contact a Nursing Home Lawyer for Legal Assistance

If you suspect your elderly loved one is being abused, please call an experienced attorney, like a nursing home lawyer from a law firm.