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Falls

According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average nursing home with 100 beds reports 100 to 200 falls each year and about 1,800 older adults living in nursing homes die each year from fall-related injuries. As these statistics reveal, falls are serious problem among nursing home residents. A good nursing home should assess a patient for risk factors for falls, such as walking and gait problems or medications that could affect balance. Patients who are at anincreased risk for falls should have fall prevention strategies in place, which might include protective padding or alarms that go off when patients try to get out of bed or move without help. In addition, nursing home staff members should be educated about fall risk factors and prevention strategies. The law requires nursing home residents to receive adequate supervision and assistive devices to prevent accidents, such as falls.

There are a variety of reasons why a nursing home resident might fall, including weakness and gait problems associated with old age. However, some falls occur because of the nursing home's negligence. This include falls caused by:

• Wet floors
• Poor lighting
• Lack of necessary bedrails and improper bed height
• Improperly maintained or fitted wheelchairs
• Overmedication
• Failure to assist residents to the restroom due to understaffing
• Failure to have sufficient staff to answer call buttons
• Failure to have call buttons that are in proper working condition
• Failure to properly train staff in lifting and handling techniques
• Failure of the staff to properly supervise residents