What Are the Most Common Causes of Nursing Home Falls?

Nursing home falls can be extremely dangerous to Maryland patients. Those who are in nursing homes tend to be older adults who have a variety of health problems. Compared to elderly adults who live at home, they tend to be at more of a risk during a fall. Serious injuries and death can result from a fall. The Industrial Safety and Hygiene News reports that there are 100 to 200 patient falls in nursing homes per year in a 100-bed nursing home.

About 20 percent of all falls lead to serious injuries. For some patients, these falls may lead to disability. In addition, many patients suffer from fear and anxiety over losing more function. Just a simple slip and fall can be devastating. The nursing home is responsible for the safety of patients and often it is the nurse’s responsibility to ensure that there are no accidents. Attentiveness is key to accident prevention. However, this does not completely eradicate the potential for falls.

Residents should have proper walking aids and the right foot care and shoes to avoid accidents. The truth of these falls, however, is that the majority of them occur due to environmental hazards. A few common hazards include:

• Slippery floors
• Poor lighting
• Improper exits
• Broken equipment
• Faulty bed rails

In fact, of that list, faulty bed rails account for a large percentage of injuries due to a fall. It is not the patient’s responsibility to remove these hazards, but the staff’s responsibility.

None of the above information is intended to be legal advice. It is only to educate on the most common nursing home falls.