Nursing Homes Can Take Steps to Prevent Fall Accidents
While seniors, age 65 and over, are considered more susceptible to serious injuries during fall accidents than their younger counterparts, many experts and medical professionals now see falls as accidents that can be prevented.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say 1.8 million Americans older than 65 are injured in fall accidents every year. While some elderly people easily recover from these falls, for others, the fall accident can be the beginning of a series of emotional problems and physical health issues, such as depression, a feeling of isolation, loss of confidence, infection, pneumonia, and muscle loss.
Older people may take a longer time to recover from broken bones and fractured hips. According to the CDC, 1 out of ever 4 patients older than age 65 dies within a year of undergoing hip surgery. A weakened immune system, adverse reactions to taking multiple medications, and other ongoing health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, or urinary incontinence, can lead to further complications.
In 2005, 433,000 seniors were treated in hospitals following fall accidents, while 15,800 seniors died because they were injured in fall accidents.
Falls in Nursing Homes
The CDC says that 1,800 elderly adults residing in nursing homes die every year in fall accidents, and the average nursing home (100 beds) reports 100 – 200 fall accidents annually.
Steps Nursing Homes Can Take to Prevent Fall Accidents:
• Create an environment where it is easy for residents to move around without falling. Modifications might included raised toilets, handrails in hallways, and lowered beds.
• Review a patient's list of medications to see whether the benefits outweigh the risks. Some medications can cause dizziness.
• Provide patients with hip pads to reduce the impact of a fall accident.
• Installing alarms to warn nurses when patients fall.
Nursing home negligence can be a contributing cause of fall accidents.
Once Just an Aging Sign, Falls Merit Complex Care, New York Times, November 7, 2008
Related Web Resources:
A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults, CDC (PDF)
Preventing slip and fall accidents in nursing homes and long-term care facilities
