According to the American Geriatrics Society Foundation for Health in Aging, approximately half of nursing home residents experience falls each year. Because falls are such a common accident, it is important that nursing homes understand how to handle the situation immediately after a fall, and the best ways to prevent…
A study published by The Gerontologist found that nursing homes that focused on creating a culture of patient safety which involves using less physical restraints, resulted in lower mortality rates, lower rates of failure to rescue, decreased chances of medical errors, and more days between serious safety events. A culture…
Falls are becoming an increasingly prevalent problem in today’s skilled nursing facilities. Because the consequences of fall-related injuries are so detrimental to the health of elder adults and the costs associated with treating these injuries are so high, many recent studies have focused on fall prevention techniques. Many of these…
While polypharmacy, the use of multiple drugs simultaneously, is known to have dangerous effects on the physical and psychological health of patients, other causes of adverse drug reactions among the elderly population are lesser known. A study, titled “Geriatric Conditions and Adverse Drug Reaction in Elderly Hospitalized Patients,” published in…
Each year, approximately 1.7 falls occur per nursing home bed. Because falls can lead to hip fractures, head trauma, and other injuries that may lead to death, analyzing the causes of falls and establishing prevention techniques is extremely important in assuring that your loved one’s nursing home is promoting the…
On December 14, 2011, Modern Healthcare reported that the Department of Health and Human Services is implementing an incentive program to award up to $216 million to health agencies in an attempt to reduce preventable injuries. Despite the honorable intentions of the program, the truth of the matter is that…
The use of physical restraints in nursing homes is a very controversial issue because it presents a situation in which a person’s fundamental rights may be violated and elder abuse may be taking place. According to the Joanna Briggs Institute, a physical restraint is defined as “any device, material or…
One of the most serious health risks facing the elderly today are fall related injuries. The National Safety Council estimates that people over the age of 65 have the highest death rate from fall related injuries. In a recent research article entitled “Effectiveness of Intervention Programs in Preventing Falls: A…
A recent study published by the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association on fall rates in Bavarian nursing homes provides helpful insight on preventing falls in Los Angeles Nursing Homes. The study showed, for example, that the fall rate of men was higher than that of women (2.18 and…