When an elderly loved one requires daily care for their health and safety, family members commonly place them into the best nursing home facilities available to them with the assumption that they are safer with full-time care than they would be at home. Sadly, falls are more common in nursing homes than in private residences. Nearly twice as many falls occur in nursing homes than in typical community settings. As many as 75 percent of nursing home residents experience at least one fall per year of nursing home residency and one out of three experience two or more falls per year. Tragically, around 1,800 elderly nursing home residents die from falls each year. Falls are the second most common cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) after motor vehicle accidents.
Common Causes of Falls in Nursing Homes
The elderly population faces a higher-than-average risk of falls due to reduced muscle strength as well as common problems with balance, gait, and vertigo. Common causes of falls in nursing homes include the following:- Environmental hazards and clutter (16-27% of nursing home falls are due to equipment left in hallways)
- Lack of assistance in bathrooms
- Inadequate handrails
- Inadequate or broken assistive walking equipment
- Drops due to improper transfer from bed to chair or chair to bed, such as when one caregiver attempts to transfer a resident rather than the standard “two-person assist”
- Impaired vision
- Sedatives and over-medication
- Wet floors
- Inadequate lighting
- Shoves or attacks from other residents
- High beds/faulty or inadequate bedrails
- Improper footwear
- Unstable furniture
- Unprotected access to stairs
Preventing Falls in Nursing Homes
Healthcare professionals in nursing homes must perform mobility and fall risk assessments on new residents and then put appropriate protocols in place. They should also periodically reassess each resident’s status and reassess and update after any change in medical condition. Besides keeping staff proactively aware of a resident’s fall risk, nursing homes should also take all reasonable measures to prevent falls, including the following:- Properly monitor residents and provide prompt assistance with toileting and transfers
- Provide adequate safety rails and assistive equipment for walking
- Install adequate lighting
- Remove clutter and fall hazards from hallways, bedrooms, garden paths, and living areas
- Install adequate grab bars in restrooms
- Ensure residents have proper footwear with non-slip soles
- Encourage physical therapy and balance exercises to support better balance and coordination
- Keep floors clean and dry
- Provide adequate bed rails
- Ensure all furniture is stable and in good repair
- Lock doors that access stairwells
- Adjust bed and wheelchair heights appropriately
- Install bed alarms to alert caregivers when a resident rises