Southern California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
Falls can result in severe injuries for people of any age in Orange County, but they are particularly dangerous for older adults who may live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities in Southern California. Indeed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 20 percent of all falls among the elderly result in a debilitating injury such as a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or a broken bone, and approximately three million older adults need to be treated in emergency departments every year for injuries they have sustained from falls. Of those seniors, about 800,000 need to be hospitalized because of the severity of the injury, which is usually a TBI or a hip fracture. In total, around 300,000 elderly people need to be hospitalized due to hip fractures every year.
When falls happen in nursing homes or assisted living facilities and residents sustain hip fractures, TBIs, or other serious injuries, the nursing home may be liable. Our Orange County nursing home negligence lawyers can explain.
Preventing Nursing Home Falls
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Orange County and throughout Southern California have a duty to provide adequate levels of care to residents based on an individual resident’s needs. Duties include fall prevention. As the National Institutes of Health (NIH) emphasizes, facilities should be doing all of the following, and potentially more, to prevent falls:
- Training staff in fall prevention;
- Ensuring an appropriate staff-to-resident ratio so that residents require assistance with activities of daily living (ADL) where falls are likely to occur are receiving the assistance they need;
- Installing safety and grip bars in areas where falls are likely to occur;
- Assessing walking areas for slipping and tripping hazards regularly; and
- Repairing any hazards on the premises that could lead to a fall.
Holding the Nursing Home Accountable After a Fall
If a fall happens in a nursing home because the facility is understaffed or was negligent in making the premises safe for residents, it may be possible to file a nursing home negligence lawsuit in order to hold the facility accountable. You should contact a nursing home negligence lawyer in Orange County to have your case assessed.
Contact an Orange County Nursing Home Negligence Attorney Today
Nursing home abuse and neglect take many different forms, as the National Council on Aging (NCOA) emphasizes. While many people with elderly loved ones in Southern California nursing homes know to be on the lookout for signs of intentional physical abuse, other forms of harm can be more difficult to spot. When it comes to falls at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, staff members might try to insist that any injuries resulting from a fall were accidental and were not the result of neglect. Yet it is critical to keep in mind that nursing homes and assisted-living facilities have a duty to provide appropriate care for residents based on their needs, and falls almost always result from the facility’s negligence.
If you have an elderly loved one who fell and suffered injuries at a nursing home or assisted living facility in Orange County or elsewhere in Southern California, you should get in touch with one of the experienced Orange County nursing home neglect attorneys at our firm as soon as possible to discuss your options for holding the facility accountable. Contact the Walton Law Firm today.
See Related Blog Posts:
Falls and Riverside County Nursing Home Neglect: Five Things to Know
When is a Nursing Home Liable for Falls in San Bernardino County?
