Nursing home injuries, and even deaths, are all too common when: a facility is under staffed, its staff members are poorly trained, or when individual staff members just doesn't care. 

If you are currently exploring the residency of a nursing home, for yourself or a loved one, be sure to do your research. Quality ratings, health inspections, quality measures, and nursing home staffing numbers are all very important factors to know about a facility before making a decision. Medicare.gov provides you with all of this information in addition to other resources and checklists to help you make this important decision.

• Falls in Nursing Homes
  • According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 1,800 patients living in nursing homes die each year from fall related injuries. A nursing home averaging about 100 beds will report 100 to 200 falls each year.
    • 10% to 20% of nursing home falls cause serious injuries
    • 2% to 6% cause fractures

• Nursing home staff have a responsibility to conduct a fall-risk assessment, which will aid in the reduction and prevention of patients falling.

• Negligence may occur when a patient has a pattern of falls and there is a clear failure on the part of the staff to apply any sort of accommodation to prevent future falls.

• Bed Sores or Pressure Sores
  • As defined by MedicineNet.com, a bed sore is: "A painful, often reddened area of degenerating, ulcerated skin caused by pressure and lack of movement, and worsened by exposure to urine or other irritating substances on the skin. Untreated bed sores can become seriously infected or gangrenous. Bed sores are a major problem for patients who are confined to bed or a wheelchair. They can be prevented by moving the patient frequently, changing bedding, and keeping the skin clean and dry. Also called a pressure sore, decubitus sore, or decubitus ulcer.
  
  
  • Most often when a bed sore develops, it is usually a clear sign that the patient is not being cared for properly.  Reasons for lack of care may include: negligence, under staffing, or poorly trained staff members. 

• Wrongful Death
  • A wrongful death can occur when the death of a patient has occurred due to the nursing home facility's negligence. The loved one's family may bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the facility as a result of it's negligence.  

• Common reasons for wrongful death include: death due to the lack of accommodation for a patient known for falling, death from infection or serious complication from bed sores, dehydration, malnutrition, medication errors, and abuse.

• Other serious forms of nursing home injuries may include:  physical/sexual abuse, and medication errors.