Falls in Denver Nursing Homes

In order to provide them with quality care, as well as to ensure their physical safety while maximizing their mobility, nursing homes are expected to supervise all their residents and install safety equipment like handrails and padding around their facilities. If nursing home administrators fail to fulfill these obligations, they may bear civil liability for any injuries that their residents suffer as a result.

Falls in Denver nursing homes are one of the most common causes of preventable injuries to elderly nursing home residents, and they often stem from neglect on the part of one or more staff members. If you suspect negligence played a role in your loved one’s slip or trip and fall injury in a nursing home, a qualified attorney may be able to help.

Falls Are Uniquely Dangerous for Nursing Home Residents

While slip and fall accidents have the potential to result in serious harm to anyone, elderly adults aged 65 and up are especially susceptible to severe injuries from these kinds of incidents. According to the CDC, more than a quarter of all the people older than 65 in the United States suffer a serious fall each year, and about three million of them have to seek emergency medical treatment as a result.

Sudden falls can cause a variety of devastating—and potentially fatal—injuries, particularly when they lead to someone striking a stationary object or protruding surface on the way down. Common injuries associated with falls in Denver care facilities include:

• Deep lacerations
• Broken bones
• Ligament tears and strains
• Separated joints, particularly in the shoulders
• Traumatic brain damage
• Spinal cord damage, sometimes severe enough to cause permanent paralysis

Holding Nursing Homes Accountable for Negligence

Of course, there is only so much that even the most dedicated and competent nursing home employees can do to completely prevent falls from occurring, so the fact that a nursing home resident got hurt in a bad fall does not automatically mean there is cause for legal action. However, there are many ways nursing home staff members and administrators can reduce the risk of long-term harm from incidents like this—most notably, by monitoring residents regularly so that residents can get the help they need quickly if they do happen to slip or trip and fall.

Conversely, a nursing home staff member who negligently gives a resident medication that makes them drowsy or dizzy, uses improper care techniques, fails to clean up or cordon off spills, or ignores established safety protocols could be considered legally at fault for a resident’s fall injuries. Likewise, administrators who fail to install support rails, put cushions on hard surfaces, provide safe mobility aids like walkers, or hire qualified staff in sufficient numbers to protect their residents from harm could bear civil liability as well.

Either way, if negligence directly contributes to a nursing home resident in Denver getting hurt in a preventable fall, they may be able to seek civil compensation for their medical bills, physical pain, and emotional anguish. A qualified lawyer could clarify for an individual plaintiff and their family members what they may be able to recover for in their case.

Speak with a Denver Attorney About Nursing Home Falls

In order to file suit over falls in Denver nursing homes, you must be able to prove both that your loved one’s nursing home neglectfully failed to protect them from foreseeable harm, and that your loved one suffered a severe injury as a direct result of that neglect. Assistance from dedicated legal counsel can be crucial to proving both those elements of a valid claim, as well as maximizing available compensation.

Your first priority after ensuring your family member’s safety from nursing home neglect should be contacting a qualified lawyer to discuss your legal options. Call today to schedule a private consultation.