New Jersey Nursing Home Falls and Fractures Lawyer
Experienced Nursing Home Abuse Attorneys Represent Clients Injured in Fall and Fracture Incidents in Morris County, Union County, and Throughout NJ
There are many risks to the elderly in nursing homes, as many are unable to properly care for themselves without the help of experienced staff to aid them. If a nursing home believes that there are risks to an elderly patient, they must do anything it takes in their ability to ensure that the resident is being kept safe from all harm. This includes an assessment of their risk of falling.
Nursing home staff are supposed to know their residents. If a nursing home believes that a loved one is at risk for serious falls, they are legally required under New Jersey law to create a plan of care for their residents and takes the time to outline their risks and offer assistance based on their risk of falling. Whether this means implementing safety equipment that will assist the loved one or assigning a caretaker who can help them around, nursing homes are supposed to take these extra steps to ensure that falls do not happen in their facility. When one of these plans is not followed, the nursing home could be held fully liable for the treatment of your loved one.
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The National Institute on Aging says that the simplest thing can cause serious results to an aging person. They have linked several factors to falling in the elderly such as muscle weakness in elderly patients, problems with balance and gait, blood pressure that drops when an elderly patient stands up, and many other related factors that change over time as a loved one ages. They also claim that many elderly patients actually fear falling and the inability to get back up when it does happen. This is why it is up to a care facility to keep a constant eye on these patients and assist them as much as possible to prevent these debilitating falls that can lead to serious injury.
Ways in Which a Nursing Home Acts Negligently, Leading to Falls and Fractures
The statistics are overwhelming on falls that elderly patients sustain every year, especially in nursing home settings. Here are just a few that bring these types of falls to our attention and show us what a growing issue it has become:
- Around 16-27% of nursing home falls take place due to environmental hazards that cause a loved one to lose balance such as lack of lighting in certain areas and slippery floors that have not been cleaned.
- Nursing home patients make up around 20% of deaths that occur every year due to serious fall events.
- Nursing home residents who have fall risk factors tend to fall multiple times per year. The CDC says that this comes out to about 2.6 falls per every nursing home patient.
- 35% of these injuries take place in elderly patients who are unable to walk or are unsteady without the help of the staff.
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If a loved one has had their medication changed recently or they are a risk factor for falls, assistance should always be given to them in a nursing home so that you can ensure that they are getting regular care and that these accidents are always being prevented. According to research, it has been found that many falls that happen in nursing homes are completely preventable if nursing homes work to protect their residents.
Here are some ways that more nursing homes can work to assist those who have risk factors for falling:
- Nursing home staff should take the time to assess patients for risks for falling, especially if they take certain medication or if they are frail.
- Staff should be ready to make modifications and fit a resident with walking aids or extra help from staff when it comes to moving around the facility.
- A high degree of education must be utilized by staff in nursing homes. This means that staff should also be aware of patients who have a higher risk of falling.
- Mobility devices should always be well-maintained.
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Contact a New Jersey Nursing Home Abuse Attorney at Blume Forte Fried Zerres & Molinari Today — We Will Help You Obtain Maximum Compensation Following a New Jersey Nursing Home Abuse Fall & Fracture Accident
If you believe that your loved one is not receiving the best care in a nursing home setting, an investigation must ensure so that you can prove that nursing home staff was negligent in caring for the loved one. Attorneys will be able to take a closer look at care charts to see when your loved one received care, determine if appropriate fall protection was used such as bed railings and chair locks, and take a look at all environmental factors to determine if floors were kept safe from harm, lighting is adequate, and fall protection is functioning to the best of its ability.
At Blume Forte Fried Zerres & Molinari, our dedicated nursing home abuse attorneys are completely dedicated to helping you and your loved one move forward after a serious accident has happened due to the negligence of nursing home staff. We care about the extent of your loved one’s injuries and want to work with you to help your loved one obtain maximum compensation to move forward during this difficult time. Contact us to find out more about your case by filling out this online contact form.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nursing Home Falls and Fractures
More and more research has shown that physically restraining loved ones to prevent them from falling is a negligent option that leads to skin bruising, breathing difficulties and distress. They are not effective in protecting elders and instead other methods should be exhausted. Staff is supposed to always be up to standard when it comes to their training and how to prevent falls in nursing homes.
Those in nursing home settings tend to be frailer than other parties. As you age, the increased ability to walk occurs and many patients lose control over these actions due to growing health issues. Nursing home residents also have increased memory and thought problems, which means that they might be more prone to wander, which can put them in a dangerous situation.
