Southern California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
A 76-year-old patient at the Ridgecrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in DeLand died after falling to the floor and lying there for 12 hours. Barbara Fasold fell out of her bed at approximately 5:00 a.m. and a fractured both legs and her shoulder, and was not discovered on the floor until a shift change at nearly 5:00 p.m. later that day. When discovered, Ms. Fasold was rushed to a local hospital, but was so badly injured in her fall that she died less than a week later.
It is estimated that a nursing home with an average of 100 beds will experience between 100 and 200 falls every year. More concerning is that nearly 2,000 nursing home residents will every year from injuries related to a fall, and fall victims who survive often suffer debilitating injuries.
Nursing homes are required to prevent falls by providing adequate care-planning. Not all falls can be prevented, but if the nursing facility does an adequate job of assessing the risk of falling on a patient-by-patient basis, and then provide regular reassessments and interventions on an ongoing basis, particularly after a fall, many more falls would be prevented.
The attorneys at Walton Law Firm represent seniors and dependent adults throughout California who have been injured or neglect in the nursing home and assisted living setting. Call (866) 607-1325 for a free and confidential consultation.
