When Bad Things Happen To Good People, We're Here To Help
Photo of Professionals at Duffield, Lovejoy & Boggs, Attorneys at Law
Please note: To protect your safety in response to the threats of COVID-19, we are offering our clients the ability to meet with us in person, via telephone or through video conferencing. Please call our office to discuss your options.

High resident-fall risk adds to nursing home staff responsibility

We are seeing an aging population in West Virginia and throughout the country that is reflected in the number of elderly individuals residing in nursing homes. According to the government, there are currently at least 1.4 million nursing home residents who are at least 65 years of age, and that number is anticipated to rise to 3 million within the next 15 years.

This means that a nursing home staff in Cabell County must take steps to protect elderly residents the risks associated with the aging process. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that a fall claims the life of at least 1,800 nursing home residents die each year. Falls happen so frequently in assisted living and related facilities that the CDC says that up to 75 percent of residents will fall down in any given year. 

When assessing the reasonable standard of care to be provided by a nursing home staff, medical professionals must take into consideration the special circumstances presented by elderly residents of a nursing home. As pointed out by the CDC, those living in assisted living and nursing home facilities suffer from health problems that could make them more prone to suffering a bone fracture or head injury in a fall than their counterparts who reside in the community.

Medical professionals and nursing home staff who do not take reasonable precautions to protect the individuals under their care from the risk of a fall might be engaging in nursing home negligence or nursing home neglect. A personal injury attorney who is knowledgeable of the laws pertaining to the reasonable standard of care and nursing home neglect should be consulted for legal advice if you or a loved one have been suffered an injury while in assisted living or in a nursing home.

Just Another Happy Client!

“…Everyone from the receptionists, paralegals and attorney were all very nice people and kept me informed through the entire process. Simply awesome law firm, I would highly recommend…”

5.0 of 5.0 Lawyers.com Review