Nursing Home Hip Fractures Linked to Prolonged Immobility and Death

nursing home hip fracturesNursing Home Hip Fractures Are a Serious Problem

University of Pennsylvania researchers have claimed in a recent report that nursing home hip fractures dramatically increase the chances that the resident may die or become completely disabled within 6 months of the injury. The study, published by the JAMA Internal Medicine medical journal, suggests that one out of every three residents that suffer a hip fracture die within six months after hospitalization.

A study of data pertaining to more than 60,000 long-term care residents who were hospitalized for hip fractures between 2005 and 2009 showed that many of these people were fully mobile before their fall. Six months after the fracture, half were permanently disabled with a significant loss of mobility and one-third had died. After a year, nearly half had died. The statistics were worse for patients who were not hospitalized.

Nursing home hip fractures are likely made worse by a number of common treatment approaches. Patients with multiple comorbidities, cognitive impairment, or receiving nonoperative management are more likely to suffer worse conditions from their nursing home hip fractures. The studies also suggest that the older the resident, the greater chance for complications further down the road.

Regulations require that long-term care facilities have plans in place to ascertain the potential for a fall and have steps to prevent it. Unfortunately, not all facilities are likely to take the prevention of nursing home hip fractures as seriously as they should. There is always the question of whether or not the management and the staff were doing their jobs properly to ensure the well-being of their residents. It is no great secret that the older we get, the more difficult it is for our bodies to recover from such traumatic injuries. That makes prevention a very important part of ensuring that our elderly loved ones maintain a good quality of life as they get older.

Injured? Contact Us Today

Nursing home hip fractures can occur for several reasons. Some may be complete accidents, others may be rooted in systemic negligence. Getting to the root of the issue is a matter that can be handled and investigated by an experienced attorney if you or a loved one have suffered injury while in a nursing home. Contact Attorney Group today for a free consultation about you or your loved one’s nursing home injury. We can help answer questions regarding a possible negligence case, and connect you with an affiliated attorney. Contact us today for your free consultation.

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