IDPH has cited and fined Integrity of Alton nursing home after a resident there suffered a fractured eye orbit in a fall.
Falls are a serious issue in the nursing home industry. They are the subject of federal regulations and are one area that is specifically addressed in the resident care plan. One very basic step in preventing falls is keeping areas where residents will be walking free of clutter and slipping and tripping hazards.
The resident at issue was legally blind, had been assessed as being at risk for falls and had a history of falls. In short, this is the kind of resident for whom safe walkways is a must. Unfortunately, on the day of this nursing home fall, this resident’s roommate was getting ready to move out of the facility, and as a result, in the words of the Director of Nursing, “There was stuff everywhere.”
The resident tripped over his roommate’s belongings and hit his head against the headboard on the way down. He was taken to the emergency room where a CT scan showed that he suffered a fractured eye orbit.
This was an easy-to-prevent nursing home fall. The staff had to have been aware that the roommate was moving out, and providing some measure of assistance to that resident in the packing process would have helped keep the room clear of clutter. Keeping walkways free of clutter is Fall Prevention 101. These are steps that should be taken in workplaces and retail establishments where there aren’t people with physical and cognitive impairments that are more susceptible to having falls and to having serious, long-term consequences from having a fall. The failure to keep this resident’s room free of clutter led to this unnecessary injury.
One of our core beliefs is that nursing homes are built to fail due to the business model they follow and that unnecessary accidental injuries and wrongful deaths of nursing home residents are the inevitable result. Order our FREE report, Built to Fail, to learn more about why. Our experienced Chicago nursing home lawyers are ready to help you understand what happened, why, and what your rights are. Contact us to get the help you need.
Other blog posts of interest:
Fall from edge of bed at Integrity of Alton
Broken ankle in fall at Aperion of Mascoutah
Failure to monitor resident leads to fall and refracture of broken hip at Barry Community Care
Cedar Ridge resident breaks both legs in fall from bed
Resident dies from brain bleed after fall at Elmwood Nursing & Rehab in Maryville
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