As a person ages, they may face a number of health challenges that make it difficult for them to move around. This struggle with mobility can often cause them to fall, resulting in injury. Elderly nursing home residents are at risk for falls that could cause serious injuries and even death, especially if they are not properly monitored or cared for by nursing home staffers.
Nearly 2,000 nursing home residents die from fall-related injuries
The Centers for Disease Control reported that 10 to 20 percent of nursing home falls cause serious injuries, and about 1,800 residents die from these injuries each year. Some of these serious injuries include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries resulting in paralysis
- Hip fracture or other broken bones
- Mental health issues (e.g. depression)
Many families make the difficult decision leave their elderly loved ones in a nursing home so they can receive the medical care and around-the-clock attention they need. Nursing home workers and the nursing homes themselves have a duty to provide your loved one with competent care.
Common examples of nursing home negligence
While many nursing home workers and nursing homes go above and beyond to care for their residents, some are not as cautious, engaging in negligent and reckless behavior that puts residents at risk for injury. Some common forms of negligence that result in nursing home falls include:
- Understaffing at the facility
- Failure to properly supervise staff
- Spills or debris on the floor/wet floors
- Improper training or hiring of staff
- Difficulty transferring resident from bed to wheelchair, wheelchair to shower, etc.
- Failure to monitor residents
- Improper dosage of medication or improper medication administered to resident
- Defective walker or wheelchair
If your loved one has fallen at a Baltimore nursing home, a legal claim may be filed against the facility and its employees to recover damages for the injuries suffered. File an incident report with the nursing home and if possible, consult with a personal injury attorney, as soon as you can.
