Falls in nursing homes place residents at risk for catastrophic injury and death. Falls result in harms such as traumatic brain injuries, broken bones and even death. In addition to the injury itself, residents who suffer from broken bones are at greater risk of developing bed sores or suffering an increased risk of declining quality of life and death.
Nursing Home residents are often at increased risk of falls due to their age, other medical conditions like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s or dementia, osteoporosis, or spinal disk injuries, or medications they are taking. Nursing Homes and Assisted Livings are required to perform assessments and create individualized care plans to address and aid in implementation of a plan to prevent falls and injuries related to falls.
Many falls are unwitnessed by staff of the nursing home or assisted living. Understaffing can also play a role in unwitnessed or unexplained injuries. If there are not enough staff, they cannot provide supervision or implementation of the individualized care plan, making your family member at greater risk of injury from a fall.
Further, there can be a delay of treatment from a head injury related to a fall where staff is untrained to recognize the symptoms of a brain bleed or other head injury, leading to greater damage and increased chance of death.
Contact Schall at Law if you or a loved one has sustained an injury as a result of a fall in a nursing home, assisted living or group home.