John O'Connor

Long-term care operators have many good reasons to keep resident falls to an absolute minimum.

First and foremost, falls are no fun for anyone involved. Residents who fall will experience pain and likely suffering. Staff morale can be adversely affected by such incidents. And falls are unlikely to do anything good for your organization’s reputation.

But if you’re strictly a bottom-line kind of operator, such namby-pamby, touchy-feely concerns may not mean much. So perhaps this will: Falls can cost a fortune.

A report from CNA finds that falls accounted for 41.5% of closed professional liability claims against the skilled care and assisted living operators the firm insured in 2012 and 2013. In case you’re wondering, the second place finisher — pressure ulcers — represented only 17.5% of closed claims. 

We’d be kidding ourselves if we didn’t believe there is a plenty of room for improvement. The CDC recommends that providers do the following:

• Educate staff about fall risk factors and prevention strategies

• Assess patients after a fall to identify and address risk factors and treat the underlying medical conditions

• Review prescribed medicines to assess their potential risks and benefits, and to minimize use if this is possible

• Make changes in the nursing home environment to make it easier for residents to move around safely. Such changes include putting in grab bars, adding raised toilet seats, lowering bed heights, and installing handrails in the hallways

• Provide patients with hip pads that may prevent a fracture if a fall occurs

• Design and encourage residents to take part in exercise programs to improve balance, strength, walking ability and physical functioning among nursing home residents

• Teaching residents who are not cognitively impaired behavioral strategies to avoid potentially hazardous situations is a promising approach

None of these steps is excessive. But by following them, you can make life a lot better for your residents – and your bottom line.