When you place a parent in an Indiana nursing home, you may do so after recognizing that your mother or father requires more care than you or other family members are able to give. Each year, hundreds of nursing home residents across Indiana and the rest of the nation die as a result of fall-related injuries. Yet, thousands more suffer serious injuries that cause them hardship and reduce their quality of life.
Per Industrial Safety & Hygiene News, the average American nursing home reports somewhere in the ballpark of 100 to 200 resident falls each year. However, there may be many additional fall incidents that nursing home employees or administrators never report.
Nursing home fall statistics
Each year, about 1,800 nursing home residents across the nation wind up dying as a result of falls. Furthermore, about three-quarters of nursing home residents suffer falls on an annual basis. More than a third of injuries that result from nursing home residents falling involve residents who are unable to walk. Many of them fall because they do not get the mobility assistance they need when they need it, so they try to move about on their own.
Nursing home fall contributors
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that between 16% and 27% of nursing home resident falls result from environmental factors. Incorrect bed heights and defective bed rails are frequent contributing factors. So, too, are slippery floors, clutter in walkways and common areas, and insufficient lighting.
Many nursing home resident falls are avoidable. Many also happen in understaffed residential facilities, where residents are less likely to get the mobility help they need from staff members.
