Sadly, nursing home falls are common. Residents are elderly or physically disabled, rendering them less likely to regain their balance should they trip, slip or misstep. The injuries can be severe, even life-threatening, as documented by a recent study.
More than 1 in 3 falls at nursing homes results in a brain injury, according to research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The 37 percent head-injury rate is disconcerting as brain injuries often have a profound effect on elderly people, who may already be experiencing a decline in brain function due to age.
A head injury from a fall is an unrecoverable injury for many nursing home residents, and may create or accelerate a decline in overall health.
Nursing home falls – whether they involve trauma to the head, hips, elbows or wrists – are a huge problem in Michigan and throughout the U.S., as many of these injuries could have been prevented. Some of the negligence often involved in nursing home accidents includes:
- Failure to assist/supervise residents
- Failure to install appropriate safeguards such as bed rails
- Presence of unsafe hazards such as loose carpeting or step-ups and step-downs
- Negligent transfer of patients between wheelchair and bed
If your loved one has suffered serious injuries from a nursing home fall, you deserve a full explanation of how it happened. An experienced civil justice lawyer can help investigate nursing home injuries and secure money damages for the victim and family.
McKeen & Associates, P.C. is a prominent injury law firm that handles complex nursing home injury cases throughout the U.S. Based in Detroit, Michigan, the firm’s attorneys have an extensive network of resources to provide elite representation to nursing home fall victims and their families.
Source: AboutLawsuits.com, “Nursing Home Head Traumas Commonly Occur During Falls: Study,” Austin Kirk, Oct. 15, 2013