According to a published report in the Washington Times on November 17, 2006, the leading cause of injury deaths for people over 65 is a fall.
In 2003, over 13,000 seniors died from falling according to a study by the United States Centers for Disease Control. Older men are more likely than older women to die from a tumble because they are typically more frail.
The population of people over 65 in nursing homes was over a million and a half in 2003. As many as 3 out of 4 residents of nursing homes will fall each year, some more than once. 1,800 people in U.S. nursing homes will die from the accidental falls that occur. As much as 1 out of 5 nursing home falls result in serious injuries. Obviously, given these significant dangers to nursing home residents, the operators of these homes must use extra caution to try to limit the number of falls. Changes can be made in the nursing home environment to make it easier for people to move around safely like adding more grab bars and handrails and adjusting the height of beds and toilet seats.
The staff in nursing homes has to be ready to properly assess patients for fall risks, including their medication and their underlying medical conditions. As many of the nursing homes in the U.S. and Virginia (VA) are squeezed financially by the corporations which own these facilities, fall prevention may not get the constant vigilance it requires. Unfortunately, many nursing homes are understaffed and under funded, which makes the risks of accidental injury like falls greater. If your parent or loved one has been the victim of nursing home neglect or negligence resulting in death or serious injury, please contact a competent lawyer to look into the matter. You may not only be helping your own family, but also preventing future mishaps to other seniors.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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