NY Nursing Home Negligence Attorney: Preventing Falls In The Elderly In Nursing Homes And At Home

The Center for Disease Control reports that 1,800 adults in nursing homes incur fatal falls each year. Others suffer hip and head injuries, impairing them seriously for life. This can be devastating to the individual and their loved ones. There are preventative measures that nursing homes can take to prevent this unfortunate situation.

As we age, our bodies and minds can become weaker. Proper assistance is required to ensure the safety of the elderly as they get on in years and have made the change to living in a nursing home environment.

Sufficient Staffing

Assisted living facilities need to have the proper amount of well trained staff to attend to the needs of the residents. There may be addition supervision needed when getting up from bed to use the bathroom. Toileting programs should be instilled for the individuals. Other assistance might be required if there is physical discomfort of other kinds of distress. Enough personnel should be provided to eliminate the need for the resident to engage in situation alone, where there is a risk of a fall.

Understanding Medications

There may be anxiety about falling or being in a nursing home in the first place. Anti-anxiety medications in particular can pose an additional chance of a fall because of their effects on the central nervous system. New medications can have effects for days after beginning use. All medications must be evaluated by staff to understand their potential side effects and how they can contribute to a fall.

Helpful Tools

Nursing homes can help to prevent falls by installing mobility aids throughout their facility. These can include high toilet seats, lower beds, grab bars, guard rails on beds and chairs, and handrails for hallways. Hip pads for individuals to wear in case of a fall can be made available. In addition to tangible items, educating able minded residents with strategies to avoid falls can be a helpful tool.

The decision to enter or place a family member into any type of assisted living facility can be difficult in itself. Having a fall compounds that difficulty. Contact us if you or a loved one is in need of a NY Nursing Home Negligence Attorney.