Falls in nursing homes can’t always be chalked up to accidents. Federal regulations require facilities to assess every resident’s fall risk and put a prevention plan in place. When a facility skips this step, ignores known risk factors, or fails to staff adequately, a resulting fall is often a sign of negligence.
If your loved one fell in a nursing home, the facility’s own care records can provide evidence of whether the fall could have been prevented.
Common Causes of Nursing Home Falls
Nursing home residents are often at heightened risk of slip and falls due to age, medication, mobility limitations, or cognitive decline, which is why federal law requires facilities to plan around such risks.
Nursing home falls typically trace back to a handful of recurring failures:
- Understaffing, which leaves residents without the supervision or assistance they need to move safely.
- Failure to conduct a proper fall risk assessment, which federal regulations require within 14 days of admission and after any significant change in a resident’s condition.
- Missing or unused safety equipment, such as bed alarms, grab bars, or properly locked wheelchair brakes.
- Inadequate staff training, particularly around residents with dementia or other cognitive conditions who require more than routine physical care.
- Poor housekeeping or maintenance, including wet floors, poor lighting, or cluttered walkways.
- Improperly maintained mobility equipment, such as defective wheelchairs or walkers.
Multiple parties may share responsibility for these forms of negligence, including the facility’s ownership and management, equipment manufacturer, or an outside maintenance contractor.
Evidence That Supports a Nursing Home Fall Claim
Facilities that accept Medicare or Medicaid residents must comply with federal regulations requiring a comprehensive fall risk assessment and a prevention plan tailored to each resident.
Because nursing homes are required to document care extensively, a strong claim depends on obtaining and reviewing the facility records, such as:
- The resident’s fall risk assessment and care plan, showing what precautions should have been in place.
- Staffing logs, which can reveal whether the facility was adequately staffed at the time of the fall.
- Incident reports, which facilities are generally required to complete after any fall.
- Prior falls or complaints involving the same resident or the same unit.
- Medical records documenting the injury and the resident’s condition afterward.
These records often tell a clearer story than the facility’s initial explanation of what happened.
Compensation Available in Nursing Home Accident Claims
After a nursing home fall, the resident and their family may be entitled to compensation for the harm caused by the incident. These damages include:
- Medical expenses, including hospitalization, surgery, and ongoing treatment.
- Rehabilitation costs, such as physical therapy.
- Pain and suffering, accounting for the physical and emotional toll of the injury.
- Wrongful death damages, where a fall leads to a resident’s death.
Because nursing home falls often involve regulatory violations on top of ordinary negligence, these claims can also force system-wide accountability for the facility going forward.
If your loved one was injured in a nursing home fall, contact an experienced Illinois slip and fall lawyer for help understanding your options. Feagans Law Group offers free consultations.