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Slip & Fall Accidents

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Slip and Fall Injuries in Kansas City Nursing Homes: Can These Be Prevented?

Slips and falls are the leading cause of nursing home injuries. More than 1800 slip and fall injuries are reported every year, but it is believed that many more go unreported. About 20 percent of these falls result in serious injury such as brain injury, spinal cord injury and hip fractures. Nearly one-fourth of people over 75 who experience a hip fracture die within six months.

Decreased bone density, medication side effects, changes in balance, decreased vision, and other disabilities and illnesses make the elderly more susceptible to serious injury and wrongful death from slip and fall accidents. For this reason alone, nursing homes have a responsibility to protect their residents from slip and fall injuries.

Risk factors for slip and fall injuries:

• Weakness and muscle fatigue
• Balance disorders
• Arthritis
• Medications, including: anti-depressants, sedatives, and narcotics
• Visual impairments

Any nursing home resident who has shown him or herself to be at risk for slip and fall accidents, should have a supervision plan in place to prevent an injury from happening again. Steps that nursing homes can take to prevent
slip and fall accidents include:

• Additional supervision
• Assistance getting in and out of bed
• Lowering bed heights and adding rails to beds
• Providing wheelchairs, walkers or canes
• Handholds or railings in bathrooms and hallways
• Raised toilet seeds
• Changes in medication to reduce dizziness and balance problems
• Physical therapy, walking programs or strength building

Failure to implement and carry out a fall prevention plan is negligence and may be the basis for a Missouri nursing home negligence lawsuit.

A nursing home should not prevent falls with physical or chemical restraints. Federal law prohibits restraints except as a last resort. These restraints limit a resident’s freedom of movement and may cause psychological damage. Long term physical effects of restraints include muscle weakness and physical deterioration. If your loved one’s fall prevention plan includes the use of physical or chemical restraints instead of increased supervision and assistance, the nursing home may be acting negligently. A Kansas City nursing home abuse attorney can help you determine if you have a negligence case.

If your loved one suffered injuries or died due to a preventable slip and fall accident at a Kansas City nursing home, the Missouri nursing home abuse attorneys at Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys can help you determine if your loved one has a personal injury claim. To schedule a free consultation with a Missouri slip and fall injury attorney, contact Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys at 888-348-2616.

For more information about the rights of nursing home residents, download our free book: “Nursing Home Neglect How to Recognize it and Stop it."

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• Posted on 3/13/201251 year old Industrial Worker Killed in Electrocution Accident Caused by Fall
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Slip & Fall Accidents

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