Why Are There So Many Falls in Nursing Homes?

Published on November 29, 2022

They took care of us when we were young and now it’s time for us to do our best to take care of our elderly loved ones when they are growing fragile and more vulnerable. Unfortunately, even the best nursing home facilities allow a surprising number of patients to endure serious falls, and falls are even more common in other nursing homes.

An estimated 50-75% of nursing home residents experience falls each year, some with very serious consequences. For instance, according to the CDC, falling once doubles an elderly person’s chances of a second fall. Falls resulting in a broken hip also increase mortality rates in elderly patients. Around 1,800 nursing home patients die from fall-related injuries each year.

Alarmingly, many falls in nursing homes go unreported and loved ones may not even be aware that their elderly family member experienced a fall. So, why are falls so common in nursing homes?

Elderly People Face Greater Fall Risks

Many of the known health conditions that increase the risk of falls occur naturally in aging individuals. These include:

• Lower body and leg weakness
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Balance problems and vertigo
• Difficulty walking
• Poor vision
• Medications

Many elderly patients have several of the above risk factors. Combining these individual factors puts senior citizens at great risk of falling. Besides hip fractures, patients who fall in nursing homes commonly experience the following injuries:

• Bone fractures
• Soft tissue damage like sprains and torn ligaments
• Bruises, cuts, and swelling
• Traumatic brain injuries ranging from concussions to serious impairment, stroke, or death

Falling is traumatic and painful for the elderly and can lead to serious consequences. While not every fall is preventable, better care from nursing home staff could prevent the majority of falls. So why are nursing home falls such a substantial problem?

What Else Causes Falls to be a Big Problem in Nursing Homes?

While each case of a nursing home fall is unique, some common contributing factors play a role in nursing home falls:

• Understaffing. Budget constraints and a lack of available workforce combine to make understaffing a prevalent problem in nursing homes. This naturally means patients spend more time alone and unsupervised increasing the likelihood of a fall
• Failure to properly adjust wheelchair heights and bed heights
• Insufficient assistance with toileting, bathing, and showering
• Cluttered rooms and common areas
• Unstable furniture
• Poor lighting
• Careless or improper transfers between bed and wheelchair or walker

Each of the above factors increases fall risks in elderly patients. When two or more of these factors combine, falls become almost inevitable.

Family members have a right to take action when an elderly loved one experiences a fall in a nursing home due to any of the above conditions.

If you know or suspect your elderly loved one has experienced a fall in their nursing home facility, it’s important to see that they receive prompt medical care and a thorough evaluation. If your relative suffered a severe injury as a result of the fall, you have a right to pursue legal action against the nursing home facility. Contact an Arizona nursing home fall attorney with a strong history of successful cases to evaluate your case.

Your loved one is entitled to compensation for their injury and the families of those who died due to nursing home falls deserve justice for their loved one and damages for their loss.