Falls & Restraints
Falling in Nursing Homes - It happens. Here’s why
One study reported that an average of 43% of nursing home residents fall each year. This is 2 to 3 times more than the average elderly population. This statistic becomes even more remarkable when you consider that a substantial portion of nursing home residents are immobile or bedridden. This makes for a particularly complex and challenging problem in nursing homes. They are prevelant, have the potential to cause serious injury in the elderly, and are a sign of poor quality of care. The standard of care (i.e. what the nursing home has a legal duty to do & what I evaluate a potential case against) requires a nursing home to identify and reduce risk factors for falls.
Injuries From a Nursing Home Fall
The big issue, and what makes falling in a nursing home setting different than say a todler or athlete (who fall more often than elderly!), is that people in nursing homes are much more susceptible to injuries such as broken/fractured hips and arms. Elderly have two things going against them when they fall. First, most nursing home residents have a high rate of osteoporosis and other clinical diseases that effect the strength of their bones and their ability to recover. Second, most also have slowed protective reflexes. Where you and I have enough reflexes to take action to stop or break a fall, most elderly do not.
The most common causes of falls in nursing homes are:
- Walking and balance disorders or weaknesses [26%]
- Dizziness and vertigo [25%]
- Accident or environment related [16%]
- Confusion and dementia [10%]
- Visual disorders [4%]
For More Information on Types of Nursing Home Injuries See These Links:
- What Nursing Homes Should Be Doing When There Is A Known Fall Risk
1 Response for “Falling in Nursing Homes - It happens. Here’s why”
Leave a Reply
Nursing Home Navigator
GEORGIA RESOURCES
- Georgia Council on Aging
- Georgia Council of Community Ombudsmen
- Georgia Office of Regulatory Services: Long-Term Care
- Georgia's Long Term-Care Ombudsmen Program
[...] identify health problems. They cover most of the common risk factors for falls. See my article: Nursing Home Falls - How they happen) for more [...]