For people over the age of 65, falls cause the most deaths. Fatal falls cost $179 million and nonfatal incidents with injuries total $19 billion in medical bills for seniors each year. Falling can cause hip fractures, head and brain trauma, and, unfortunately, sometimes a seniors’ death.

Especially for the elderly that live in nursing homes or long-term care centers, it is important to be mindful of tripping hazards and use railings to get around a busy facility. Falls can also be reduced when regular exercise is done to maintain strength and improve your balance. A senior should get their eyes examined to make sure they have the best glasses and medications should be monitored for causing abnormal drowsiness or lightheadedness.

The average nursing home has 100 to 200 falls each year, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Dying from fall-related injuries is all too common. Nursing home staff should be educated on preventing falls. For at-risk patients, a nursing home facility should have alarmed devices to alert staff of patients getting out of bed without calling for help. Many long-term care centers use grab bars, hip pads and adjust bed and toilet heights to help residents.

Falls that do not cause deaths are shown to decrease a senior’s quality of life as it can start a functional decline and even cause a disability. Nursing homes can be liable if an environmental hazard was ignored or staff was careless about how the resident was being taken care of. A qualified serious injury attorney will help the individual and their loved ones investigate whether it was a wet floor, unmaintained wheelchair, bad lighting, or improper use of medication, for example, which caused the fall and subsequent injuries.

Serious injury lawsuits will help a senior get compensation for their medical bills, pain and suffering, and other costs. Nursing home costs already are expensive enough without the elevated bills that come from extensive falling injuries or an unwarranted death. A serious injury attorney will deal with the guilty party’s insurance company to get your expenses paid for in a timely manner.

In Florida, Zephyrhills serious injury attorney Robert Alston counsels seniors and their families who are dealing with a nursing home fall. The Disability Law Firm is known for upholding their client’s rights against an insurance company and the individual or facility that caused the injury.