Every nursing home and assisted living facility should provide safe living conditions for elderly individuals with physical limitations and mobility problems. Unfortunately, not every facility meets this basic requirement for all their residents, often leading to preventable falls that have devastating consequences for a resident and their loved ones.
While falls in Houston nursing homes are not always the result of negligence or misconduct by facility staff members and administrators, it is always worth following up after such an incident to learn how it happened and what will be done to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future. If there is something your loved one’s nursing home facility could have done to protect them from this type of harm, a skilled nursing home neglect lawyer at Roberts Markland LLP could help you pursue civil litigation on their behalf.
Nursing home residents in Texas have a right to expect compassionate care that meets all their physical, psychological, and social needs. Protection from avoidable falls is one of those basic needs. Therefore, nursing homes must take reasonable measures not just to prevent falls from happening in the first place while ensuring staff members know what actions to take if someone falls to minimize long-term harm.
To that end, nursing home administrators should ensure all public spaces are properly lit, free of spills and tripping hazards, and have handrails where appropriate. In private areas, beds should be set at a safe height so that residents have a low risk of falling and getting hurt while getting in or out of bed, and fixtures like carpets and rugs should be secure enough to not slip out from under a resident’s feet.
At the staff level, facility employees should have an established fall prevention program that they adhere to with adequate staff to make sure every resident is attended to regularly. Finally, facility management should ensure their property is cleaned and maintained regularly to prevent slipping and tripping hazards. Any nursing home in Houston that allows a fall to happen because they failed to do one or more of these things may bear civil liability for the incident.
Nursing home residents injured in preventable falls in Houston can pursue civil litigation against a negligent facility owner or employee if they are cognitively able to, or their family members can file suit on their behalf. A successful claim could allow recovery for economic and non-economic losses, including:
The more severe a fall in a nursing home is, the more compensation may be necessary to account for its short-term and long-term effects, and the more important a skilled lawyer’s assistance could be.
Older adults are especially susceptible to severe injuries from accidental falls, so nursing homes have an especially important duty to minimize the chances of these incidents. Recklessness or carelessness in this regard can potentially justify a civil claim. However, obtaining financial recovery after a slip or trip inside a nursing home can be complicated.
Guidance from a knowledgeable legal professional can be vital to handling falls in Houston nursing homes in the most proactive way possible. Call today to get started.
