Houston Nursing Home Accident Attorney

You’ve had to make the difficult decision to place your aging parent in a nursing home because he or she could no longer live alone safely. The purpose of making the placement was your concern for the elderly person’s wellbeing, and you expected the nursing home to be able to provide a safe environment, but now there has been an accident. Perhaps your parent has broken a bone—maybe even a hip, which is a life-threatening injury—or suffered a head injury that caused disorientation and possibly permanent brain damage.

Unfortunately, nursing homes are not always the safe haven you had hoped for to care for your loved ones in their later years. They are frequently understaffed, and the overburdened caregivers may have more on their plates than they can handle, making it vital that you have an experienced Houston nursing home accident attorney on-hand.

Falls among nursing home residents are common. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reports that around 1,800 nursing home patients die annually from injuries received in falls. Among those who survive a nursing home fall, many are permanently disabled with brain damage or fractures, leaving their quality of life very poor.

Nursing Home Accident Statistics from the CDC

• While only about 5 percent of adults age 65 and older live in nursing homes, nursing home residents account for about 20 percent of deaths from falls in that age group.
• A typical 100 bed nursing home reports 100 to 200 falls per year on the average. This is probably the tip of the iceberg, as many falls are not reported.
• Between 50 and 74 percent of all nursing home residents fall each year, which is double the rate for older people who are not in nursing homes. Some fall multiple times.
• More than a third of the fall injuries happen to nursing home residents who can’t walk, for example falling from a bed or a wheelchair.
• Falls kill around 1,800 people in nursing homes each year.
• Between 10 and 20 percent of the falls in nursing homes result in serious injuries; between two and six percent result in fractures.

Clearly, many nursing homes are failing in their duty to provide a safe environment for their elderly patients. Falls result in additional disability and loss of function, depression, anxiety, isolation, and diminished quality of life.

When an older person sustains a serious injury in a nursing home accident, it is often evidence of negligence on the part of the home and its staff. If your family member fell in a nursing home and you can prove that it was the result of negligence, your loved one may be able to recover money from the home as compensation for the physical and mental suffering, as well as any expenses for additional medical treatment or other accident related expenses.

Common Causes of falls in Nursing Facilities Attributable to Negligence

• Wet or over-waxed floors
• Debris or objects on floors
• Poor lighting
• Incorrect bed height
• Poorly maintained wheelchairs
• Overmedication
• Lack of caregiver assistance when moving from one place to place
• Poor foot care
• Lack of supervision of patients with dementia
• Physical abuse by staff or other residents

Other Types of Preventable Nursing Home Accidents

Although falls are the number one cause of serious accidental injuries in nursing homes, there are others, for example:

• Medication errors
• Defective product, equipment, or assistive devices
• Choking
• Arm or leg caught in a bed or chair rail
• Bruising from restraints
• Missing persons
• Altercations with other residents
• Burns and scalds

Legal Assistance for Nursing Home Injuries

The Houston personal injury attorneys at Gordon & Elias, LLP, believe that our senior citizens deserve to live out their years without suffering unnecessarily from avoidable injuries in nursing homes where they should be receiving excellent care. If someone you love has been injured as a result of negligent, abusive, or incompetent nursing home care, we want to help. Call today to schedule a free conference with one of our experienced, skilled, and compassionate lawyers to discuss your or a loved one’s situation.