My Parent Fell in a Pittsburgh Nursing Home—Can the Facility Be Held Responsible?
Falls are among the most common and serious events affecting elderly nursing home residents. A fall can result in a broken hip, head injury, spinal injury, hospitalization, loss of mobility, or permanent decline.
But not every fall in a nursing home automatically means the facility was negligent.
The important question is whether the nursing home took reasonable steps to identify the resident’s fall risk and protect the resident from a preventable injury.
When Can a Nursing Home Fall Be Preventable?
A resident may have an increased risk of falling because of:
- Weakness or balance problems;
- Dementia or confusion;
- Medication side effects;
- Prior falls;
- Poor vision;
- Improper footwear;
- Difficulty transferring from a bed, chair, or toilet;
- Failure to use an assistive device;
- Inadequate supervision; or
- Environmental hazards.
When a nursing home knows that a resident is at risk, the facility may need to develop and follow an appropriate care plan.
What Should a Nursing Home Do After a Fall?
A serious fall should generally trigger an investigation into what happened and whether the resident’s care plan needs to be changed.
Questions may include whether:
- Staff responded promptly;
- The resident was properly assessed;
- The resident should have received additional supervision;
- Bed or chair alarms were ordered and functioning;
- Appropriate assistive devices were available;
- Staffing levels contributed to the incident;
- A known fall-prevention plan was followed; and
- The resident suffered injuries that required hospital evaluation.
What Records May Be Important?
After a nursing home fall in Pennsylvania, potentially important records may include:
- Nursing notes;
- Care plans;
- Fall-risk assessments;
- Incident reports;
- Medication records;
- Staffing records;
- Therapy records;
- Hospital records;
- Photographs;
- Video, if available; and
- Prior fall documentation.
A pattern of earlier falls can be particularly significant if the facility failed to adjust the resident’s care.
What If the Nursing Home Says, “Falls Just Happen”?
Some falls are unavoidable.
But a nursing home should not simply dismiss every fall as an inevitable consequence of aging.
If staff knew the resident was at high risk, failed to provide required assistance, ignored a care plan, or failed to respond to prior falls, the circumstances may warrant further investigation.
Pittsburgh Nursing Home Fall Lawyer
If your parent, spouse, or loved one suffered a serious fall in a Pittsburgh or Western Pennsylvania nursing home, assisted living facility, or long-term care facility, Frank Walker Law can review the circumstances and help determine whether the injury may have been preventable.
Contact Frank Walker Law to discuss a potential Pennsylvania nursing home negligence claim.
If you found this information helpful, please like and share this article with your network. One of your friends or loved ones may be dealing with a serious nursing home fall and may not know what questions to ask.
About Frank Walker Law
Attorney Frank Walker of Frank Walker Law is a National Top 100 Criminal Defense Lawyer, and Personal Injury Attorney who has been recognized as a Super Lawyer, a member of the National College for DUI Defense, Best Attorneys in America, Best Law firms of America, America’s Greatest Attorneys, and a Top AVVO Rated attorney, with offices in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania and Morgantown West Virginia.
Additionally, you can find Attorney Walker on YouTube, TikTok, the Pittsburgh Attorney Podcast and the West Virginia Attorney Podcast, where he gives legal tips (not advice!) and discusses the pressing legal issues of the day.
If you or someone you love are facing criminal charges or are seriously injured in an accident, contact Attorney Frank Walker immediately at 412-532-6805 (Pittsburgh), 304-413-0179 (Morgantown), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for aggressive and experienced Criminal Defense or Representation in a Civil Case.