My Loved One Suffered a Fracture at a Nursing Home. Should I Be Worried?

 Posted on January 13, 2021 in Nursing Home Abuse

One of the hardest parts of having a loved one in a nursing home is that you cannot always be present to monitor the quality of care your loved one is receiving. You may worry about the safety standards at your loved one’s nursing home or wonder how often they are understaffed. You may see horrific news stories depicting physical or sexual abuse of nursing home residents and fear the same thing happening to your loved one. When your loved one suffers a broken bone, you may wonder, “Are fractures a sign of nursing home neglect or abuse?”

Cause of Resident Broken Bones and Fractures

Falling becomes a greater and greater hazard the more we age. Disabilities that impair mobility or vision and injuries to the feet can further increase the risk of falling. The CDC reports that one out of every five fall accidents results in a serious injury. Broken bones are a common result of nursing home fall accidents. Not every fall is a product of nursing home negligence or wrongdoing of some kind. However, there are many ways in which nursing home negligence may lead to a fall accident, including:

• Negligent supervision or failure to properly watch staff for signs that they need help
• Environmental Hazards such as cluttered walkways or loose electrical cords that present a slip and fall or trip and fall risk
• Inadequate safety measures including lack of handrails, grab bars, and sufficient lighting
• Inadequate staff training including insufficient training on how to safely transfer a patient in and out of bed or a wheelchair
• Improper use of sedatives or psychiatric medication
• Medication mistakes including administering too much or too little medication

Falls are not the only causes of broken bones and fractures in nursing home residents, but they are, by far, the most common. Falling may also be caused by:

• Physical abuse
• Inappropriate footwear
• Improper transfer of a resident into and out of bed or a wheelchair  
• Failure to secure a resident’s feet to wheelchair footholds
• Insufficient use of mobility aids

Contact a Cook County Nursing Home Negligence Lawyer

If your loved one has suffered a broken bone or fracture and you suspect nursing home negligence played a role in the incident, contact a Chicago nursing home injury attorney at Schwartz Injury Law. Our team can help you hold the nursing home accountable for the harm to your loved one. Call us at 312-535-4625 for a free, confidential case evaluation.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html