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How a Slip and Fall Accident in a Nursing Home Can Change a Senior’s Life

Experienced Attorney

If you are a relative of a senior loved one in a nursing home and they recently suffered from a slip and fall, it is important to understand how this could affect their life and what you can do to support their recovery, such as contacting a nursing home abuse attorney. A fall can lead to serious injuries such as a broken hip, bone fractures, head injuries, soft tissue wounds, neck and back injuries, muscle sprains, and much more. Here we talk about in what ways your loved one may be impacted and what their road to recovery may look like: 

Decreased Mobility and Independence

A slip and fall accident can weaken a senior person’s ability to get around on their own, thus decreasing a sense of independence. After the slip and fall, it is possible that your loved one may not ever fully recover. Depending on their age and other medical conditions, they may have to get around using a wheelchair, walker, or quad cane. Along with this, many seniors start to become less active out of fear that they will fall again. They begin to not trust themselves and their body as much as before. 

The Need For Surgery and a Long Recovery

As we humans age, illnesses and injuries may take us longer to recover from compared to when we were in our younger years. If a senior loved one needs surgery to repair a broken hip for example, this may mean a very long road of healing a rehabilitation after the procedure. Surgery can also expose the senior resident to other risky complications, such as blood clots and infections. 

Risk For Other Health Complications

Nursing home staff must stay vigilant and attentive until the senior has recuperated from surgery, since the resident will be laying in bed much more often and unable to take care of themselves in certain ways. However, some senior residents may not fully overcome their slip and fall accident injuries at all. As a result, they may become less mobile and more likely to have other health complications such as pneumonia and bed sores. 

Less Opportunity For Stimulation

Part of ensuring that a senior is still having a quality of life in a nursing home, is by providing them with opportunities to be creative and active. If a senior loved one becomes less active due to a slip and fall, then they will need more activities for stimulation. There are plenty of ways that family members can get involved while also recruiting assistance from nursing home staff. Examples of enriching things that your senior loved one is likely to enjoy include: 

  • Giving them music to listen to (either a radio or headphones if they share a room with another resident)
  • Reminiscing over old photographs
  • Bringing along a pet when visiting
  • Eating a snack or meal together
  • Going on short outings (some nursing homes allow residents to leave for short periods of time with approved family members)
  • Meditative coloring books
  • Watching a show or movie


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