There are many risks for nursing home residents because of overcrowding, understaffing, lack of supervision and a failure to correctly provide prescription medicine to residents. There are many other associated nursing home resident injury cases including abuse, bed sores, wandering and incidents of falling.
Falls are serious concerns for nursing home facilities, assisted living facilities and long-term care facilities. About 50% of residents fall during their stays on an annual basis. About 10% of those sustain serious injuries.
When a nursing home resident is admitted, the screening process should determine whether or not the person is a fall risk.
All nursing homes in Illinois, including assisted living facilities and long-term care facilities, are required to determine the risk factors for each resident. Nursing homes are also required to take safety precautions to limit the risk of falls.
Nursing homes are required to identify those residents who are fall risks. In many cases nursing homes not only identify the resident, but also provide a wristband and hip pads and lower mattresses and other assistive devices to help improve resident safety for those who are at risk for falling. Most importantly in a nursing home facility where falling is a risk, supervision is paramount. Each resident should be given sufficient supervision so that preventing serious injury because of falling can be avoided.
It is not uncommon for residents to fall and have no one witness the fall or even come to their aide. Some unsupervised residents will wander off to an area that they are not accustomed to and fall sometimes injuring themselves seriously. Residents are subject to head injuries and even brain trauma because of falls. In some facilities these residents prone for falling are giving helmets to protect their heads from serious injuries.
If a resident has fallen or been injured or even considered at risk, his or her care plan must be addressed with the nursing home administration so that safety steps are taken.
At Kreisman Law Offices, our attorneys have a full understanding and experience with respect to the duty that a nursing home owes to its residents. This includes other rehabilitative or care facilities to you or your loved ones in order to prevent serious injury from falling.
If you or someone else you know has been injured in a fall incident at an Illinois nursing home, assisted living facility or long-term care facility, you may be entitled to legal recourse.
Please call us for an immediate consultation. Robert Kreisman of Kreisman Law Offices has been handling Chicago and Illinois nursing home inadequate supervision cases for more than 40 years. Kreisman Law Offices has prevailed in trials and settlements in Chicago, Illinois and surrounding communities and has successfully resolved cases for those injured or abused in nursing homes for these many years.
With our years of experience in trying and settling nursing home abuse cases, Kreisman Law Offices provides the best possible services to our clients and have achieved unsurpassed results. Our service is unmatched. Please call us 24 hours a day at 312.346.0045 or toll free 800.583.8002 for a free and immediate consultation, or complete a contact form online.