Nursing Home Attorney

Getting a phone call that your senior relative has fallen in their nursing home and been seriously injured, is one that many family members dread but ultimately have to face. It can be scary to hear that your loved one is in pain and may even need surgery in order to recover. For some senior residents, a full recovery may not be the end result, and limited mobility will be something they have to live with. That means some changes will have to be made to that senior’s care plan so they can continue having a quality of life.

As family members are attending to their loved one’s needs during treatment and recovery, they may inquire as to how the fall happened at all. After speaking with staff, if it seems like the nursing home had contributed to the incident unfolding, family members are encouraged to speak with an attorney right away. Of course, no one wants to suspect that the nursing home they placed their senior loved one into had caused such a terrible thing to happen, but it is possible.

Here are some of the main reasons that seniors may take a slip and tumble while living in a nursing home facility:

Hazards On The Floor

If nursing home staff do not quickly attend to slippery spots on the floor, spills, or other debris, a resident can sustain a slip and fall. As humans age, they can begin to lose their eyesight, reflexes slow, and the body is more fragile. A senior resident that has trouble with sight may not see the hazard on the floor and may walk right into it, resulting in a slip and fall accident. A senior’s bones tend to be more delicate, so the injuries sustained can be very painful and anguishing.

Falling During Transfer

A senior resident who needs help getting out of bed must be assisted by staff who are experienced and sufficiently trained in methods of lifting and transferring. A staff member who is not prepared may lift the patient incorrectly, or suddenly realize they are not strong enough to hold them up, and can cause a fall unintentionally. Even though the staff member didn’t set out to harm the resident, the facility can be held responsible for the slip and fall.

Family members who believe the nursing home or staff was somehow at-fault or contributed to the slip and fall, are strongly advised to speak with a nursing home abuse lawyer for help. The facility may owe your senior loved one compensation for damages such as medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more.

Heavy Medications

Sadly, sometimes nursing home facilities ramp up a resident’s prescription medication so that seniors can become easier to manage. Family members must pay attention to any physical, mental, emotional, and/or behavioral changes in their senior loved one to ensure they aren’t being overloaded with heavy medications unnecessarily. Being on medications that affect their sense of balance, vision, and motor skills can lead to a devastating slip and fall accident.