It is estimated that individuals over the age of 65 are four times more likely to experience falls than the general population given their advanced age and balance problems. At the same time, over 1800 nursing home residents die each year countrywide due to nursing home falls. It is the responsibility of nursing home attendants and other cities and states across the country to minimize the risk faced by these frail members of our society by having contingency plans in place.
Nursing home falls can be caused by any one of the following:
- Lack of restraints in resident’s chairs and beds which could have softened or prevented the fall.
- Poor lighting in certain areas of the nursing home such as in stairwells and hallways.
- Lack of supervision by nursing home attendants due to understaffing
- The overmedication of residents causing them to be drowsy and off-balance
- Poor staff training on how to handle residents and mitigate falls in a timely manner
- Poor cleaning practices leading to residents stepping on water, and slipping and falling.
- Failure to provide specialized nursing home equipment such as walking sticks, special shoes and grips
Proving Liability in Nursing Home Abuse Cases
When it comes to proving liability for nursing home falls, there are various factors legal experts look at. For example, does the nursing home facility have a history of falls or reports of nursing home abuse and mistreatment? Have residents in the past complained to both the management and their loved ones about the poor standard of care they receive? Have workers responded in the past in a prompt manner to fall events? Are patients prone to falls (such as those with Alzheimer’s) regularly monitored? Should we as a nursing home law firm find that there was negligence leading to your loved one’s fall, we will help you as a family sue for things like treatment, pain and suffering and punitive damages if the actions of management or attendants are found to be egregious and reckless.
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