Slipping and falling is a serious risk for elders, who are more likely to sustain severe injury from a tumble than any other age group, even toddlers. Some estimations state that falling leads to approximately two out of every five injuries to elders, and that falling is the number one cause of accidental death in the elderly population. Odds are that if you have an elder living in a nursing home, they are there because they had already had a serious slip and fall accident, or you were afraid that they would have one soon. But what can you do if your elder has been hurt by falling in a nursing home?
The whole concept of a nursing home is that it is supposed to be a place where elders can live in comfort and safety. This means making necessary and reasonable efforts to eliminate any and all hazards, including the chance of slipping and falling. Yet, despite this truth, at least half of all elders in a nursing home will fall, dangerously so, once or more a year. At a certain point, you can no longer excuse the fall to their age or frailty, and you have to start suspecting that negligence on part of the nursing home staff is at hand.
A Responsible Nursing Home Takes Precautions
Figuring out if your elder’s fall was preventable or, more or less, inevitable due to their age can be difficult but there are signs you should look for that could point in one direction or another. Specifically, a safe and responsible nursing home will make extra efforts to prevent falls. Grab bars should be installed in restrooms, furniture should be at appropriate heights or feature adjustable supports, call signals or alerts should be available to elderly residents at all times, and so on. A nursing home that could be found negligent and liable for a fall will often make little effort to protect their residents.
Elders may trip or slip and fall in a negligent nursing home due to:
- Lack of walkers
- Defective wheelchairs or canes
- No support getting in or out of bed
- Slippery floors
- Untreated medical conditions
- Dim lighting
- Improper restraint systems
In the end, pursuing justice for an elder and providing them with a comfortable living space for their golden years is often their loved ones’ responsibility. If they are hurt due to a slip and fall that you think should have been prevented with reasonable care, you need to be the one to seek out legal help. At Sette & Parnoff, PC, we make it simple for our clients when it comes to nursing home abuse cases. You tell us what is going on during a free initial consultation and when you retain our services, we’ll handle the investigation, paperwork, and any necessary litigation. That way you can focus on more important matters, like spending time and caring for your elder.
Go ahead and dial (203) 490-4155 to get in contact with us. Our Hamden nursing home abuse attorneys would be happy to address any questions and concerns you might have about your claim.