Submitted by Ron Meyers and Associates, Vulnerable Adult Injury Attorneys
A phone call telling you that a loved one has fallen in a nursing home, assisted living community or other care facility can be frightening. Your first concern is naturally whether they are hurt. Once their immediate medical needs are addressed, however, families often find themselves with another question: How did this happen?
Falls can happen even when appropriate precautions are in place, particularly among older adults with mobility challenges or medical conditions that increase their risk. A fall by itself does not mean someone did something wrong.
But when a vulnerable adult is in the care of others, families deserve to understand what happened, how the facility responded and what will be done to reduce the risk of another fall.
Here are some of the questions worth asking.
Where and When Did the Fall Happen?
Start with the basic facts.
Ask where your loved one was found, approximately when the fall occurred and what they were doing beforehand. Did someone witness it? Were they walking to the bathroom? Getting out of bed? Moving without an assistive device they normally use?
If nobody saw the fall, ask when your loved one was last checked on and how the facility determined what likely happened.
These details can help families understand whether the fall was an isolated accident or whether something about the resident’s care or environment deserves closer attention.
How Quickly Did Someone Respond?
After a fall, the response matters.
Ask when staff members discovered or responded to the resident and what happened next. Was your loved one assessed for injuries? Was a nurse involved? Did staff contact a physician, call for emergency care or send the resident to a hospital when appropriate?
Some injuries are immediately obvious. Others, particularly head injuries, may be harder to recognize at first.
Families should also ask when they were notified and what information the facility documented about the incident.
Was My Loved One Already Considered a Fall Risk?
Many vulnerable adults enter care facilities with conditions that make falls more likely. Balance problems, dementia, medications, previous falls and difficulty walking can all increase risk.
Ask whether the facility had identified your loved one as being at risk for falls and what precautions were already in place.
Depending on the resident’s needs, those precautions might involve assistance with transfers, mobility devices, more frequent checks or other individualized measures.
If the fall involved a risk the facility already knew about, it is reasonable to ask whether the existing precautions were being followed.
Was Anyone Supposed to Be Assisting Them?
This can be an especially important question when a resident needs help walking, transferring from a bed or chair, bathing or using the restroom.
Ask what level of assistance your loved one’s care plan required at the time of the fall and whether that assistance was available.
Sometimes residents try to move independently even when they’ve been asked to wait for help. Other times, a person may attempt to get up because assistance didn’t arrive when they needed it.
Understanding what happened before the fall can provide important context.
Could Medication or a Change in Health Have Contributed?
Not every fall begins with a problem involving mobility.
Certain medications can contribute to dizziness, drowsiness or changes in blood pressure. Infection, dehydration, weakness or a sudden change in health can also affect balance.
Ask whether there were recent medication changes or signs that your loved one’s condition had changed before the fall.
A fall can sometimes be the first visible indication that something else needs medical attention.
What Is Changing After the Fall?
One of the most important questions is also one of the simplest: What happens now?
A fall should prompt the care team to consider whether the resident’s needs or risks have changed.
Ask whether the facility is reassessing your loved one’s fall risk and whether changes are being made to supervision, mobility assistance or other aspects of their care.
If this isn’t the first fall, ask whether staff members see a pattern. Repeated falls deserve particular attention, especially when the same circumstances keep occurring.
Keep Asking Until You Understand
Families don’t need to assume someone is at fault after every fall, but they also shouldn’t accept an explanation they don’t understand.
Ask questions, take notes and follow up if your loved one’s condition changes. Pay attention to whether the facility communicates openly and addresses what contributed to the fall.
Preventing every accident may not be possible. But when a facility is responsible for a vulnerable adult, it should respond appropriately to known risks, injuries and changing care needs.
If your loved one suffered a serious fall in a Thurston County care facility, contact Ron Meyers and Associates. We can listen, explain your options and help determine whether the circumstances deserve a closer look.
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