When you fall down, it’s an accident. You might have tripped over something, you might have gotten dizzy, etc. Whatever the case, you usually have a good laugh, maybe you notice you scraped your knee a little, and you go on about your day. But when someone falls down in a nursing home, the story goes differently.
It’s not just an accident; every year, thousands of elders in nursing homes get injured due to falls that could have been prevented. A single misstep can lead to broken bones, a long hospital stay, or it can even permanently affect mobility. As a family member, you can’t help but doubt the quality of care in the nursing home and, for many families, this is a constant source of concern.
But falls don’t have to happen, at least not so often. In the state of New York, regulations are strict as far as preventing falls goes, but unless you know your way around them, it’s hard to make a difference. In this article, you’ll see what are root causes of falls and how they can be prevented.
Risks and Causes of Falls in Nursing Homes
Did you know that almost 50% of nursing home residents experience at least one fall per year? That’s a concerning statistic and it seems that falls are almost an epidemic. Even in the state of New York, where regulations are pretty strict, this is still a significant problem, especially among seniors with impaired mobility, cognitive decline, or chronic health conditions. However, even for healthy seniors, falls are still a big risk and they can leave serious consequences.
The causes? There’s many of them, unfortunately. Slippery floors, not enough lighting, and cluttered walkways are big contributors. Then there are also physical factors, like weak muscles, issues with balance, or medication side effects like dizziness. Of course, we can’t forget about problems in operation, like facilities with not enough staff or caregivers that haven’t completed enough training. When you put all these factors together, it’s not hard to see why half the population in nursing homes experience falls.
When you read about all of this, you might be surprised at the numbers and you might even be shocked that just falling down can be so serious. But if your family member is in a nursing home, having these issues, it’s not hard to see why you would blame the facility and think about contacting the Nursing Home Law Center. Truth be told, sometimes that’s the only effective thing to do, but there’s also something to be said about knowing how to prevent falls.
How to Prevent Falls
The first step to preventing falls is knowing what causes them. Since there are so many causes, the only way to make seniors in nursing homes safe is a comprehensive approach, meaning you need to cover all sides of the issue.
Here’s how to do that.
- Changes in the Environment
One of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent falls is by simply making adjustments in the nursing home itself. No hallways and bathrooms should be without grab bars because they’ll support the residents when they need to steady themselves.
Good lighting is just as important and you’d think this would be a no-brainer, but a lot of facilities don’t have proper lighting. Lighting is especially important in staircases and walkways.
Removing clutter like loose rugs, exposed cords, and anything else a senior might trip over will also reduce the risk of falls and make the living space safer.
- Individually Tailored Care Plans
No two people are the same, so no two seniors have the same fall risks. This means that each nursing home should do a thorough fall-risk assessment for all new residents to see where they might have problems.
These assessments need to be updated regularly so that care plans stay effective and actually have a chance of preventing falls.
- Staff Training
This is a big part of successfully preventing falls. Unless the staff is trained and educated, they don’t know anything about safe transfer protocols, handling high-risk situations, caregiving at nighttime or after administering medication, etc.
Uneducated staff are a huge risk, but sadly, they’re also a reality for many nursing homes.
- Managing Medications
A lot of falls are caused by side effects of medications, like dizziness or drowsiness. This is why every resident needs to have their medications reviewed on a regular basis and it’s also another reason why it’s important to have educated staff. If the medications are causing too many side effects, the healthcare provider should adjust the prescription.
Conclusion
The situation is worse than people think and the reason why you don’t really see anybody reacting is because, for most of us, falls aren’t that big of a deal. But for older people, falls can be incredibly dangerous and they absolutely should not happen this often in nursing homes.
A nursing home has to be safe and, if it’s not, then we all have a responsibility to raise awareness and advocate for changes.
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