A People First Law Firm

Office Building of Steven D. Davis Law Group, APC.

Is it normal for patients to fall in a nursing home?

| Sep 20, 2021 | Nursing Home Negligence

It is reasonable to expect that your loved one will be cared for and attended to in a nursing home. It’s reasonable to ask that they are not put in danger or left to fend for themselves in situations where they cannot walk or aren’t mobile in a stable, safe way.

Falls are both severe and costly for elders, which is why their caregivers should do what’s necessary to prevent them at all costs. Unfortunately, millions of people 65 years of age and older fall every year. Just a single fall doubles the risk of falling again in the future. 

Falls are more than just an inconvenience

Instances in which an elderly person falls aren’t just upsetting and inconvenient. They have the potential to lead to serious injuries such as broken bones and head injuries. Every year, around 300,000 people end up in the hospital due to fall-related hip fractures.

It is not necessarily normal for a person to fall in a nursing home, but a single fall doesn’t constitute abuse or negligence in most cases. 

However, if your loved one suffers from vitamin deficiencies, has vision problems, takes medications that impact their balance or are otherwise at an increased risk of falling, then the nursing home should set up fall-risk protocols to protect them. 

If negligence, such as a lack of water or food leading to dehydration or malnutrition, leads to a fall, then it would be reasonable to look into making a claim against the nursing home and holding it accountable for your loved one’s pain and suffering or death.

Falls are often preventable. If more than one occurs, or if one is due to neglect or abuse, then you may have a claim.