Southern California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
Falls can happen in any San Diego County nursing home as a result of improper supervision of residents, residents’ medical conditions, and dangerous or hazardous conditions on the nursing home premises. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), falls among elderly adults account for about one-third of all non-fatal injuries sustained by people aged 65 and older. These non-fatal injuries can involve bruises, cuts and scrapes, and broken bones. While some older adults recover relatively quickly and fully from non-fatal falls, others may deal with long-term disabilities, especially when a hip fracture or other broken bone results from the fall. At the same time, it is critical to know that falls among the elderly can be deadly. The NSC reports that falls result in approximately 40,000 older adult deaths annually. That number was over 41,000 in 2023, the last full year of reported data. And, according to a recent report in The New York Times, data suggests that number is rising.
What should you know about nursing home falls and liability? Our San Diego County nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers can tell you more.
Elderly Fall Deaths Rise Among Increased Prescription Medication Usage
More older adults are suffering fatal falls than ever before. Indeed, according to the report in The New York Times, fall-related deaths among older adults in the United States aged 65 and up have “more than tripled over the past 30 years,” and for those over the age of 85, the statistics are even more alarming. In that older age group, “the cohort at highest risk, deaths rates from falls jumped to 339 per 100,000 in 2023, from 92 per 100,000 in 1990.” When older adults sustain fatal injuries in falls, the falls often involve complex hip fractures and brain bleeds.
Why are more seniors dying from falls than in the past? According to a new article in JAMA Health Forum, one of the major factors may be an increased use of certain prescription drugs. The author of the study, Dr. Thomas Farley, argues that more older adults in America are using prescription drugs that are simply not as safe for people of their advanced age. Geriatric falls are not increasing at the same rates in Europe or Japan, Farley notes, where the same types of prescription drugs are not commonly used. Those medications include “benzodiazepines, opioids, antidepressants, and gabapentin,” all drugs that can make a person drowsy or dizzy, thereby increasing the risk of a fall. A geriatrician at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Michael Steinman, says that “these drugs can increase falls by 50 to 75 percent” when they are used by older adults.
Holding Nursing Homes Accountable for Fall-Related Deaths
Whether a senior in a nursing home falls because of the side effects associated with a certain medication, lack of necessary mobility assistance, hazards on the premises, or a combination of any or all of those factors, a nursing home can be liable. Nursing homes in San Diego County and throughout Southern California have a duty to provide the level of care that residents require and to ensure that the premises are safe for use.
As the report in The New York Times also underscores, health care providers in nursing homes and other settings should be addressing whether a patient’s medication increases the risk of falls. If so, that patient may require additional assistance and attention, or the provider may need to consider an alternate treatment to ensure the patient’s safety.
Contact a San Diego County Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney
If you have an elderly loved one who suffered any type of fall-related injury in a nursing home, our San Diego County nursing home negligence lawyers can help. Contact the Walton Law Firm today.
See Related Blog Posts:
Malnutrition, Bed Sores, and Other Signs of Neglect in Orange County Nursing Homes
Identifying Nursing Home Neglect When Your Spouse is Receiving Long-Term Care
