How to Prevent Palm Beach Nursing Home Falls
According to the CDC, the average 100 bed nursing home reports 100-200 falls per year. Approximately 1,800 older adults die each year due to fall related nursing home injuries. Those who experience non-fatal falls suffer from serious injuries, trouble getting around, and a reduced quality of life. They may also experience a fear of falling, which can lead to further loss of function, helplessness, social isolation, and depression.
Causes of Florida Nursing Home Falls
• Muscle weakness and walking or gait problems contribute to 24 percent of nursing home falls.
• Environmental hazards such as poor lighting, wet floors, incorrect bed height, and improperly fitted or maintained wheelchairs contribute to 16 to 27 percent of falls among nursing home residents.
• Medications which affect the central nervous system, such as sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs, can increase the risk of nursing home falls.
• Other causes of falls include poor foot care, poorly fitting shoes, improper walking aids, incorrect use of walking aids, and difficulty in moving from one place to another.
How to Prevent Palm Beach Nursing Home Falls
The rate at which nursing home residents fall is twice that of older adults who do not live in nursing homes. This is most likely due to the fact that nursing home residents are generally frailer than other adults who still live out in the community. They often have difficulty with daily living and need more assistance getting around, thus their need to live in a skilled nursing facility.
It is very important to prevent falls among these residents, as their frailty makes it even more difficult to function if they suffer an injury. The most effective forms of fall prevention include a combination of approaches, such as physical and mental rehabilitation, medical treatment, and environmental modifications. Some effective methods:
• Educate staff about fall risk factors and prevention strategies.
• Assess patients who have fallen to identify what contributed to the fall.
• Increase awareness of patients’ medications and their effects on patients’ ability to move safely around their environment.
• Install devices, such as grab bars, raised toilet seats, lowered beds, and handrails, throughout the nursing home environment.
• Install alarms that notify staff if a patient attempts to move from their bed without help.
• Implement exercise programs to improve balance, strength, walking ability, and overall physical functioning and wellness.
Active prevention strategies are vital to decreasing the likelihood of suffering a serious injury in a Palm Beach nursing home fall. When considering a nursing home for your loved one, make sure to ask what strategies are implemented to prevent serious injuries.
If your loved one has suffered nursing -home injuries or Palm Beach nursing home abuse, please contact Fetterman & Associates – The Law Team today. We offer you a free consultation to answer any questions you may have concerning a Palm Beach nursing home abuse case.
