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Los Angeles Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers Handling Fall Claims
Fighting for California seniors who fall in nursing homes since 1993
Most seniors who live in nursing homes have mobility problems. Los Angeles nursing homes should have fall prevention and fall treatment plans for their residents to help control these mobility issues. The plans should include protection for residents who use assistive devices such as canes and walkers – and residents with cognitive difficulties due to dementia or Alzheimer’s.
At Garcia & Artigliere in California, our Los Angeles nursing neglect lawyers have helped people nationwide obtain strong settlements and verdicts totaling more than $3 billion dollars. Our seasoned trial lawyers have the skills and resources to show why a senior fell, how the fall could have been prevented, and why the resident was so seriously injured. We work with physicians including orthopedists and neurologists who can verify the fall injuries, the necessary treatments, and the long-term consequences. Many fall victims require long-term rehabilitative care just to stabilize their injuries.
Garcia & Artigliere has recovered more than $100,000,000 for victims of falls. In one recent case, we obtained a $5 million award in Los Angeles Superior Court for a nursing home resident who fell multiple times.
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How can we help?
- How often do falls in nursing homes occur?
- What are the causes of nursing home falls in Los Angeles?
- What types of injuries do seniors who fall suffer?
- What steps should Los Angeles nursing homes take to prevent falls?
- What damages can nursing home seniors seek in California if they fall?
- Do you have a nursing home fall attorney near me?
How often do falls in nursing homes occur?
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one in six nursing home residents fall. This statistic is low because many falls are not reported. Many residents fall multiple times.
What are the causes of nursing home falls in Los Angeles?
Nursing homes provide health care in addition to elder care. Homes across the country know that every resident has a risk of falling because seniors have poor balance, muscle weakness, slower reaction times, and vision problems – and those are the problems of the healthier seniors. Many seniors need wheelchairs, canes, and walkers. Many nursing home residents have cognitive impairments which means they don’t understand the dangers of slipping or tripping and falling, or all the other ways a person can fall. Seniors may also fall due to the medications they take, seizure disorders such as epilepsy, and existing fractures. Los Angeles nursing homes need to anticipate these challenges and develop strategies to prevent falls from occurring and minimize the severity of injuries due to falls.
Some of the many factors that contribute to falls in Los Angeles nursing homes include:
- Cluttered rooms
- Beds that are too high
- Wheelchairs that don’t work
- Floors that are uneven
- Unstable bed wheels
- Accent rugs
- Poor lighting
- Floors that are uneven
- Not enough handrails
- Too many steps
- Slippery floors
- Shows that don’t have enough traction
- Many other causes
What types of injuries do seniors who fall suffer?
The consequences of falls are quite serious because many seniors already have health problems. Fractures in seniors don’t heal as quickly as when the seniors were younger. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) states that falls can cause:
- Broken hips, shoulders, legs, and arms
- Dislocations
- Traumatic brain injuries such as concussions
- Spinal cord damage including paralysis
- Chronic pain
- Bruises
- Death
Other fall injuries include:
- Facial and dental trauma
- Internal bleeding and organ damage
Some of the problems that seniors who fall have are that they may be on blood thinners. Seniors are also susceptible to emotional trauma due to fears of falling again. The trauma may cause seniors isolation and depression.
What steps should Los Angeles nursing homes take to prevent falls?
Most falls in nursing home falls in Los Angeles should not occur.
At Garcia & Artigliere, our lawyers review whether the nursing home had any written fall prevention policies, how they educated their staff about fall prevention, and whether any other seniors fell in the nursing home.
Some of the strategies nursing homes should implement to prevent falls include:
- The use of bedside commodes
- Grab bars
- Mobility aids
- Understanding which residents have dementia, physical ailments, and any other health problems that make falls more likely
- Chairs and beds that are easy to get into and out of
- Nightlights
Los Angeles nursing home staff should be ready to help residents who do fall get prompt medical care:
The AHRQ recommends that nursing homes use the following professionals:
- A nurse who focuses on falls. This elder care professional should help plan strategies for residents who have a high risk of falling.
- Falls nursing assistants. These care providers should be responsible for inspecting the nursing home facility and supporting the frontline staff and the falls nurse.
- A falls therapist. This senior care provider helps review mobility issues of the residents.
- A falls engineer. This professional “inspects, repairs and modifies equipment and the environment.”
What damages can nursing home seniors seek in California if they fall?
At Garcia and Artigliere, our Los Angeles nursing home fall attorneys have 150 years of combined experienced filing claims, negotiating with insurance companies, and arguing cases before juries when nursing residents are injured due to abuse or neglect. We examine whether the Los Angeles nursing home followed federal and California safety regulations, had a fall prevention strategy, and followed nursing home best practices for preventing falls.
Our lawyers seek full compensation for fall victims including:
- The right to be transferred to a safer nursing home
- All medical costs, including ER treatments, hospitalizations, surgeries, treatments by specialists, family medicine care and older age care, rehabilitative therapy, assistive devices, and medications
- Their daily physical pain and emotional suffering
- Loss of life’s pleasures and quality of life
- Any property damage
If a beloved parent or other close relative died due to a fall, we seek wrongful death damages. Wrongful death damages in California include:
- Funeral and burial costs
- Financial damages including the financial support the loved one would have provided
- The loss of society and companionship, guidance, affection, and other non-financial damages
Do you have a Los Angles nursing home fall attorney near me?
Garcia & Artigliere represents Los Angles nursing home residents who fall because of nursing home neglect. We guide seniors and their families through every phase of the claims process.
Contact the California nursing home injury lawyers of Garcia & Artigliere today
Nursing homes work with seniors every day. They know the elderly are likely to fall. They know that the administrators and staff need to thoroughly examine all the factors that may lead to falls – and eliminate as many of those factors as possible. At Garcia & Artigliere, our Los Angeles nursing home fall lawyers hold nursing homes to their duty to anticipate and prevent falls. When falls do occur, the victims of nursing home neglect deserve to be compensated for any harm that results from the falls.
Call us or contact our offices today to schedule a free case evaluation. We maintain additional offices in Long Beach, Louisville, New Orleans and Phoenix. We serve clients throughout the United States. We handle nursing home fall cases on a contingency fee basis which means we only receive compensation if you do.
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