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A simple hospital or nursing home fall can lead to major injuries.

Nursing Home Abuse and Negligence : Hospital & Nursing Home Falls

Lexington personal injury attorneys Gray & White handle Kentucky nursing home & hospital fall cases.Lexington personal injury attorneys Gray & White handle Kentucky nursing home & hospital fall cases. A simple hospital fall or nursing home fall may not seem like a serious injury, but a surprising number of patients suffer health issues and additional medical costs because of these accidents.

Though preventable, Kentucky hospital falls remain entirely too common, affecting young and old alike. And despite 24-hour care available in Kentucky nursing homes, family members still receive phone calls notifying them that their loved one has been rushed to the hospital following a disastrous nursing home fall.

A simple fall, whether in a Louisville hospital or nursing home, can cause serious physical injuries, including:
  • Concussions or brain injuries
  • Broken bones
  • Internal hemorrhaging (bleeding)

We often hear the story of someone’s grandmother falling and breaking her hip. What we may not hear is that quite often the staff at a hospital or nursing home is responsible for the accident.

While some hospital or nursing home falls occur when the patient tries to get out of bed without help, further investigation often shows that the patient did request help, but was either ignored or postponed. A patient hurt in a fall could have reason to charge the hospital or its staff for any of the following factors:

Medication caused an imbalance

Most Kentucky doctors, nurses and nursing home caretakers know that a patient’s medication could make him or her dizzy and increase the risk of a fall. However, that knowledge is not always communicated to the patient, nor does it automatically result in the staff member offering assistance.

Whether a mother has just given birth or an elderly man has undergone hip surgery, a nurse should offer to assist the patient in getting out of bed — particularly on the first time such an attempt is made.

The patient may not know his or her limits following surgery or illness. As professionals, members of the staff should be able to assess and communicate the individual’s risk of a fall. Particularly when medication is involved, staff members need to assess the individual’s dizziness level to determine if he needs help getting out of bed.

Similarly, an elderly person may have increasing difficultly getting out of bed on a regular basis. This is a trend that the caretaker should spot and address, offering assistance several times throughout the day.

Nurse didn’t answer call for help

While nurses in a busy hospital or nursing home may be busy, there is no excuse for ignoring a call for help or assistance. When a patient or resident presses a call button, a nurse should respond.  It is the staff’s responsibility to be available when needed. Too often patients ask for help and do not receive it in a timely manner. Such inattention could be construed as Kentucky hospital or nursing home neglect.

Alarm or bedrails didn’t work

Patients expect hospital equipment, including call buttons, bed alarms and guardrails, to work properly.

A broken or silenced call button can delay necessary help. A broken bed alarm means the nurse cannot tell when the patient needs help attempting to get out of bed. Shaky or useless guardrails can increase the patient’s fall risk as well. Even slippers without proper grips can cause a disastrous hospital or nursing home fall.?

If you or a loved one has been injured because of a fall, then you may be looking at extra time in the hospital or nursing home. You could also have ongoing health issues because of a slow-to-heal fall.

Rest assured that you don’t have to pay for additional expenses on your own. To talk to an experienced Louisville injury lawyer today, call Gray and White Law at 502-210-8942 or toll free at 1-800-634-8767.

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Louisville, KY 40202
Phone: (502) 210-8942
Fax: (502) 618-4059
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Mark K. Gray
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