COMMON CAUSES OF NURSING HOME FALLS:

Fall Prevention

In

Nursing Homes

FACTS

Muscle weakness and walking problems

Hazards: Wet floors, poor lighting, wrong bed height, and broken wheelchairs

Medications such as mood changing and blood pressure drugs

Other causes: Poor foot care, poor fitting shoes, and walking aids that do not work

HOW CAN WE PREVENT FALLS?

Assess patients drug regimes

Teach staff on fall risk factors and prevention plans

Patient workout programs to build muscle and increase strength

Provide patients with hip pads to reduce hip fracture if a fall occurs

Increase Vitamin D intake

Grips on Socks

ASSESS HIGH RISK FALL FACTORS:

YELLOW FALL RISK BRACELETS

YELLOW SOCKS

BED ALARMS

ASSESS FOR FALLS

MAINTAIN SAFETY

AVOID HARM

Every year, nursing homes with 100 beds report 100 to 200 falls a year.

About 35% of the fall injuries result in patients who cannot walk.

About 1,800 people living in nursing homes die from falls each year.

Falls result in injuries, which lead to a less active lifestyle.

References

Falls in Nursing Homes. (2014, September 22). Retrieved March 9, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Falls/nursing.html

GeronurseOnline.org. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://consultgerirn.org/topics/falls/want_to_know_more