As people get older they become more susceptible to falling as their coordination and balance slowly deteriorate. Unfortunately, as humans age, bones weaken and become more likely to break in the event of a fall. While some falls that take place in nursing homes may be unavoidable, many are the result of negligent care. If you or a loved one has fallen and suffered injuries as a result, you need to speak with one of our experienced fractures from falls lawyers in Las Vegas.
Regardless of the circumstances surrounding a resident’s fall, the nursing home and its staff should have been able to prevent it. While the demand for nursing homes has risen in recent years, the quality of staff training and nursing home facilities seems to have decreased. It is not acceptable for nursing homes to cut corners at the detriment of their residents.
Nursing homes should have layouts that eliminate unnecessary dangers for residents who are unstable and prone to losing their balance. It is their responsibility to take all the necessary measures to prevent their residents from falling, especially since the potential consequences may be much higher for older individuals. If a loved one was injured in a nursing home, our Las Vegas nursing home lawyers can help.
The most common injuries due to falls include:
As people age, their bones become thinner, making nursing home residents an especially fragile population prone to falls. Even a seemingly gentle and minor fall can result in severe, painful fractures. The most common places for bones to break include wrists, arms, hips, legs, and knees. Elderly individuals are more difficult to treat because they often suffer from other medical conditions that can complicate recovery. An elderly individual with a broken bone is much more likely going to need a surgical procedure to fix the bone. A younger individual with the same injury will be able to heal on their own.
Organ trauma or internal bleeding may result from a fall. It is important for these to be recognized quickly to get medical help as quickly as possible. Since many older people take medications that thin their blood, they are more likely to have severe reactions to internal damage. If these injuries are not treated in time, they may result in death.
If a person were to fall and hit their head, it is possible the impact caused brain damage. Whenever the brain endures physical trauma, fluid may build up within the small tears that occur. These tears are impossible to detect without the use of an MRI or PET scan. Traumatic brain injury can cause brain damage that limits the individual’s thinking capability and may affect their memory, motor function, and communication skills. This injury can be extremely life-altering and in some cases, it can result in death.
Leaving a loved one in the care of others is one of the hardest decisions adults have to make when their parents and family members age. Discovering that a loved one in a nursing home or caretaking facility has been injured due to negligent care is not uncommon. Falls that occur in a nursing home are almost always attributed to some level of neglect. If you or a family member have been injured while under the care of a nursing home, it is important to speak to an experienced Las Vegas injury lawyer immediately.
With over 15 years of experience handling personal injury cases of all sorts, you can trust our Las Vegas elderly abuse injury lawyers at Harris & Harris injury claims in Las Vegas to fight hard for your case. Give us a call at (702) 384-1414 for a free consultation or contact us online.