Falls are the leading cause of accidental death among older adults and nursing home falls are reaching epidemic proportions in this country, according to statistics provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Many of us reach the agonizing decision to place a loved one in a nursing home only because we believe the professional staff and medical care available will provide the safest environment. New York Life reports that the New York City area is one of the nation's most expensive for nursing home care -- with annual costs often exceeding $100,000. A New York City nursing home neglect lawyer can assist families in cases where a resident has been seriously injured or killed in a fall accident.


The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that the average 100-bed nursing home reports as many as 200 falls per year. That means everybody falls twice! Naturally, elderly residents are more prone to suffering a fall accident -- that is part of why many of them have been entrusted to the care of a nursing home. The fact of the matter is that many nursing home falls are preventable and would not have occurred at all had proper supervision been provided or proper steps taken to help ensure an accident prone elderly resident did not suffer a serious or fatal injury as the result of a fall.

-About 5 percent of adults over 65 live in nursing homes, however nursing home residents account for about 20 percent of all fatal fall deaths.

-As many as three-quarters of nursing home residents suffer a fall each year.

-The average resident falls more than once. The average is 2.6 falls per person per year.

-About 1,800 nursing home residents die in fall accidents each year.

-Fall accidents frequently result in disability, health complications, declining function and reduced quality of life. On an emotional level, falls can result in a feeling of helplessness, depression, social isolation and a declining mental state.

Most common causes of nursing home falls

-One-fourth of falls are related to muscle weakness and patient health. Proper supervision of a patient with known medical issues can help ensure that he or she is not seriously injured or killed in a fall.

-About one-fourth are the result of environmental hazards that could have been prevented by the nursing home, including wet floors, poor lighting, incorrect bed height, ill-fitting wheelchairs or other causes.

-Complications from medication are the frequent cause of fall accidents. These, too, should be managed by a nursing home to prevent a patient from being injured in a fall.