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Fall Prevention
All Staff
Falls in the Nursing Home
There has been an increase in falls in the nursing home. A number of things can cause residents to fall (Patient falls: How to prevent them). Illnesses, such as dementia among others, can cause residents to be confused. Confusion with residents requires continual monitoring in keeping the resident safe. Muscle weakness and instability cause falls when residents are confused, or when the resident insists on doing things themselves and maintaining their own independence in spite of the weakness or instability issues. Medications can also cause confusion. Sedatives and anti-anxiety medications are a particular concern in causing confusion. Medications can also cause drowsiness that can cause falls if patients are not put to bed when the medications are given.
Environmental factors also play a role in falls. Wet floors, poor lighting, incorrect bed height, improperly fitted shoes, unmaintained wheel chairs, or items on the floor that cause obstructions all can cause falls for residents. Poor foot care can be a factor if toe nails, corns, etc. are not properly cared for. Some shoes have soles that cause skids on certain floors. Improper use...
Risk factors should be addressed and underlying medical conditions should be treated. Reviewing prescribed medication can determine when medications should be given with the patient in bed. For residents that are coherent, safety teaching goes a long way in enabling the resident to practice safety at all times.
Call lights should be answered immediately. Residents with limited mobility, but coherent, need assistance for restroom needs, but will not usually wait when staff takes too long to assist them. Some residents require raised toilet seats because of limitations in sitting too low. Beds should be adjusted properly to enable ease of the resident when getting up and down. Residents who are confused need their beds to be all the way down, preferable with a mattress at the bedside, to soften the fall if they try to get up without calling for help. The use of bedrails needs precautionary measures because confused residents may crawl over them, causing more injury from a higher fall. The use of bed and…
Bibliography
Falls in Nursing Homes. (n.d.). Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationSafety/Falls/nursing.html
Patient falls: How to prevent them. (n.d.). Retrieved from patient Safety Partnership: http://www.patientsafetypartnership.org/Patient_Falls.html
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