Preventing Falls · PA | NJ
Highly Skilled Abuse & Neglect Attorney
Bedsores · Wrongful Death · Medication Errors · Nursing Home Falls
Serving all of New Jersey & Pennsylvania including Philadelphia & Bucks Counties
Elder Abuse & Nursing Home Falls
Most Nursing Home Falls Are Preventable
With adequate supervision and care, falls at nursing homes are mostly preventable. In the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, when a fall in a nursing home occurs, it is more often than not the result of nursing home neglect. If you or your loved one has suffered an injury as the result of a fall at a long-term care, assisted-living, or nursing home facility anywhere in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or especially Philadelphia, you deserve to immediately understand your rights. Contact Nursing Home Attorney Brian P. Murphy who will patiently listen to your concerns, answer all questions, and thoroughly inform you of your rights.
Can Nursing Homes Prevent Falls?
Studies have repeatedly proven that when nursing home staff members take the time to conduct sufficient assessments of at-risk residents and put adequate fall precautions in place, they drastically prevent falls from occurring. Frequently, falls occur because of inattentive care providers. In Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and especially busy major cities, such as Newark and Philadelphia, nursing home falls occur because of under staffing and/or workers not paying attention to their duties. While many elderly nursing home residents are at risk of falling due to age-related limitations, nursing home falls can be largely prevented in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. When nursing home staff members conduct proper assessments of at-risk residents and put the appropriate fall precautions in place, they drastically reduce the likelihood of falls occurring.
Risk Assessment and Fall Prevention
- Fall risk assessments should be completed for each resident
- Custom fall prevention plans should be drawn up and adhered to
- Environmental modifications to reduce hazards need to be implemented
- Adequate lighting needs to be present
- Safety bars should be installed where needed
- Walkways should be cleared of objects or tripping hazards
- Slippery surfaces should be treated or minimized
- Staff needs to be properly trained to handle at-risk residents
- Bed alarms should be installed
- Tracking systems can be beneficial
- Routine checkups on residents increase safety
- Fall prevention techniques should be mastered
- Use of walking aids need to be employed
When Nursing Homes Are Liable for Falls
When the procedures to protect an at-risk resident from falls are not properly followed, a nursing home or other facility may be held accountable. These organizations have a legal duty to adhere to fall prevention plans that are designed so that their residents do not injure themselves.
If you or a loved one falls in a nursing home or other assisted-living facility, it is crucial that you know your rights. The facility’s staff members might try to brush it off as something that happens as a result of getting old. This is precisely why government regulations that oversee nursing homes emphasize the importance of each facility’s responsibility to enact fall prevention plans. New Jersey and Pennsylvania laws are in place to protect nursing home residents, especially those who are considered “at risk”; if a facility or hospital fails to abide by these laws and does not incorporate fall prevention measures, this can result in patient neglect, a violation of the law.
Insufficient Staffing and Nursing Home Falls
In an attempt to maximize profits, many Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing homes reduce their staffing levels. Who pays the price? The nursing home residents. Elderly residents, most of whom are at risk of falls, need constant supervision and assistance moving about the facility. When there are too few staff members in the nursing homes, this demand cannot be satisfied. A thorough investigation into your loved one’s fall may show that short-staffing was a contributing factor. Nursing Home Attorney Brian P. Murphy has won many nursing home neglect cases in New Jersey and Pennsylvania demonstrating that falls were due to insufficient staffing. Nursing Home Attorney Brian P. Murphy can determine if your loved one fell due to nursing home short-staffing.
Serious Falls Can Be Life-Threatening
Whenever a nursing home resident falls, it is serious. Nursing home falls by the elderly can lead to dangerous and even fatal injuries. Common nursing home fall injuries suffered by residents include: hip, arm and leg fractures, shoulder injuries, brain bleeds, facial fractures, severe bruising, sprains and strains, and death.
Nursing home falls often lead to functional decline, a reduction in independence, social and recreational activities, and a degradation in quality of life. Nursing home falls can cause severe discomfort and pain. They also often disable nursing home residents for months at a time. Subsequent to a fall, nursing home residents are often traumatized and commonly experience heightened anxiety for fear of falling again. After suffering a fall, many nursing home residents feel helpless, depressed, and socially alienated.
It is very important for Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing homes to put in place proper fall-prevention protocols so that they can be avoided. If this is not done and an injury is suffered, nursing home neglect has occurred, and the responsible nursing home should be held accountable.
Nursing Homes Cover Up Falls
Nursing homes do not like to provide many details surrounding nursing home falls. Although nursing homes in the states of PA and NJ, as well as major cities such as Newark and Philadelphia, are required under law to notify family members if their loved one suffers a fall, nursing homes are often super careful with the information they disclose. Many times the nursing home staff is evasive and medical records are often incomplete. Accordingly, it can be very frustrating and challenging for family members to determine exactly how the fall occurred.
The good news is that an experienced Nursing Home Attorney, such as Brian P. Murphy, knows how to figure out what exactly happened to your loved one–your mother or father, aunt or uncle–and, if the nursing home was negligent, hold them accountable for the injury they created.
A Seasoned Malpractice Attorney
Brian P. Murphy is an experienced and well-regarded New Jersey and Pennsylvania nursing home malpractice attorney. He has successfully represented many elderly nursing home residents subjected to abuse and neglect throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, consistently winning favorable settlements.
Abuse and neglect in nursing homes is a complex area of the law. You need an experienced nursing home attorney to answer your questions and offer you guidance in moving forward. Attorney Murphy has been filing lawsuits against New Jersey and Pennsylvania nursing homes (including Philadelphia) since 2006. Mr. Murphy knows which questions will get directly to the issues you are concerned about. He is fully familiar with all the signs and symptoms of nursing home injuries, including abuse and neglect. He can help you identify and put a stop to your loved one’s abuse or neglect. See what Mr. Murphy’s prior clients have to say about him.
In Pennsylvania, Mr. Murphy files nursing home lawsuits from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh. He also files suits throughout New Jersey. Mr. Murphy has been very successful in litigating claims against PA and NJ nursing homes and earned millions of dollars in compensation for his clients.
If you see signs of nursing home neglect and/or abuse, please schedule one of the firm’s free consultations today. Contact Nursing Home Abuse Attorney, Brian P. Murphy, to discuss your potential legal matter.
Legal matters are billed on a contingency fee basis. All nursing home lawsuits (Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, and New Jersey) are personally handled by Brian Murphy.
This website is owned by The Law Firm of Brian P. Murphy, PC. Its purpose is to assist you in understanding your rights, especially when it comes to preventing or protecting yourself and/or your loved ones against nursing home failures, such as abuse, neglect, bedsores, dehydration, malnutrition, malpractice, and wrongful death.
Nothing on this website is to be construed as attorney advice or otherwise creating an attorney-client relationship. If you may be interested in establishing a relationship with The Law Firm of Brian P. Murphy, PC, please contact us to discuss your options.