Falls are very common among residents in nursing homes and can cause serious injuries and death among the victims. This is because people in nursing homes are generally older, have more chronic conditions, and have difficulty walking compared to other older adults living in the community. Additionally, nursing home residents also tend to have problems with thinking or memory, or have difficulty with the tasks of daily life causing the percentage of nursing home falls to be large.

The number of falls for elderly people in nursing homes is significant and the injuries from those accidents are often severe and can sometimes cause wrongful deaths. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year, about 1,800 elderly people living in a nursing home die from fall-related injuries. Other statistics on nursing home falls tailored by CDC include:

-About 5% of adults 65 and older live in nursing home, but nursing home residents account for about 20% of deaths from falls in this age group.

-Each year, a typical nursing home with 100 beds reports 100 to 200 falls. Many falls go unreported.

-About 10% to 20% of nursing home falls cause serious injuries; 2% to 6% cause fractures.

-As many as 3 out of 4 nursing home residents fall each year. That's twice the rate of falls for older adults living in the community.

There are certain situations and circumstances that create a higher risk for a nursing home resident to fall. These include:

-Muscle weakness

-Gait or balance problems

-Environmental hazards (i.e., wet floors, poor lighting, incorrect bed height)

-Medication intake

-Difficulty moving form one place to another

Individuals who suffer injuries due to a fall in a Michigan nursing home do have legal rights. Many of times, the fall is caused due to the negligent care of the nurse or caregiver, not enough supervision, or environmental hazards such as incorrect bed height. If the resident falls due to those circumstances or any other negligent act from a nurse or caregiver in a Michigan nursing home, it can give rise to a Michigan nursing home abuse and neglect lawsuit.

The person, or most typically a concerned family member, should contact a Michigan nursing home neglect and abuse lawyer immediately after a fall accident in a nursing home to investigate the cause of the accident. These injuries are often not well-documented and it is necessary to do a full investigation, especially because the person does not always have the ability to remember or describe the incident. An injured person may be entitled to monetary compensation for the injuries in a fall if the fall took place in a nursing home and the nursing home failed to take proper preventative fall measures.