The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1,800 nursing home residents die each year from fall-related injuries. A nursing home with 100 beds will report between 100 and 200 falls yearly. And that does not include the many falls that go unreported. Falls can be deadly to an elderly person, and between 2 and 6% of falls result in fracture.
There are many causes for nursing home falls, including:
- Muscle weakness
- Facility hazards (i.e. wet floors, low lighting, lack of hand rails, defunct wheel chairs, improper bed height)
- Chemical restraints (sedatives, anxiety medication, pain medication)
Moving from bed to chair and vice versa - Inadequate supervision
High risk fall patients should be assessed upon their entrance into a nursing home program. Care plans should be put into place so that those patients are cared for in a way that supports fall prevention. Failing to implement these plans is considered nursing home abuse.
Staff education, bed alarms, hip pads, grab bars, and handrails are all things a nursing home can implement in order to protect it’s residents from dangerous and sometimes deadly falls.
Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys in NJ and PA
The NJ and PA nursing home abuse attorneys at the Mininno Law Office are here to fight for your rights to compensation. Our senior citizens are vulnerable and being taken advantage of by CEO’s concerned more with turning a profit and less with providing safe and compassionate care to our elderly loved ones.
If your loved one has suffered due to the negligence and inadequate provided by their nursing home or long term care facility, contact the Mininno Law Office for a free case evaluation or call for a free consultation at 856-833-0600 in New Jersey, or 215-567-2380 in Philadelphia.