Tennessee Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorneys Discuss Nursing Home Falls
One of the common causes of death among nursing home residents is injury caused by falling. Sometimes, when a nursing home resident falls, they suffer minor injuries like cuts and scrapes. Unfortunately, many nursing home residents are rather frail, and falling often results in serious injuries like broken bones and traumatic brain injury, which can ultimately prove to be fatal. While not all falls are fatal, they often leave residents with severe injuries and even permanent disabilities, in many cases. Residents who were previously mobile, or who used a walker or cane prior to falling and breaking a hip could be permanently confined to a wheelchair unless their injuries heal and they become strong enough to walk again. Some nursing home falls are truly accidental, but there are many falls which occur that could have been prevented if proper caregiving procedures had been followed.
Estimates from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that close to two thousand nursing home residents die each year as the result of fall-related injuries. The number of falls that occur in American nursing homes is hard to estimate, given that many falls go unreported, but it has been estimated that nursing home residents fall twice as often than elderly who live outside of nursing home. This statistic is particularly concerning, because nursing home residents are supposedly living in a setting where they are cared for around the clock, while elderly people who reside in the community have varying degrees of assistance with their day to day activities, including some who get by with little to no help at all.
There are multiple things which happen at nursing homes that can cause residents to fall. Medications can increase the likelihood that a resident will fall, because some medications affect balance and coordination, as well as residents’ awareness of their surroundings. As people age, they often develop gait disorders which can make them more susceptible to falling. Walkers and other mobility devices can help reduce the likelihood that someone with a gait disorder will fall, but nursing home residents may not receive these mobility aids when they need them if their needs are not being assessed by their caregivers on a regular basis. Unfortunately, it is often not until after someone has fallen that their mobility needs are assessed and provided for. Improper staffing at nursing homes is another thing that leads to falls, as residents get themselves up to go to the bathroom after their requests for assistance go unanswered for too long.
If you look at the list of reasons why people fall in nursing homes, you can see that many of them are associated with a lack of proper care. Falls can be an indicator of abuse or neglect in a nursing home setting. If you suspect that your elderly relative is being abused or neglected by nursing home staff, report the abuse immediately and contact the Memphis Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC as soon as you can. Call our office at 901-680-9777 to schedule a time to discuss your case with us. At Bailey & Greer, PLLC, we are small enough to care, big enough to fight, and experienced enough to win.
Since graduating magna cum laude in 2005 from the University of Memphis School of Law, Thomas has helped make a difference in the lives of victims of serious personal injury, wrongful death, and professional negligence. Thomas has extensive trial experience in both state and federal court. Among other victories in the courtroom, Thomas obtained several impressive jury verdicts and settlements
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