Falls are predominant in the geriatric populations that live in nursing homes. Research shows that each year a nursing home consisting of 100 beds report between 100 to 200 falls. Approximately 2 million people who have 65 years and above live in nursing homes. The number is projected to increase to over 3 million by 2030. The falls are serious because it results to 5% of fall related deaths. This is serious, primary health care providers in nursing homes need to reduce both the rates at which the falls occur, and morbidity related to the falls. Falling indicates other signs of health problems (Joint Commission Resources, Inc., 2005). People living in the community are strong in comparison to people living in the nursing homes. Many factors lead to falling in the geriatric population. They have chronic problems and are old. This population has difficulty in walking. They have memory problems and experience difficulties in their daily activities. These people need help and care to assist them carry out their daily activities. The old people have muscle weakness and this contributes to the walking problems. They account to approximately 24 % of the falls in the nursing homes. Environmental hazards that exist in a nursing home contribute to 20% to 30 % of the falls among the residents of the nursing home. Hazards include poor lighting of the rooms, wet floors, incorrectly fitted chairs and incorrect bed height. Other factors include incorrect medication. Medications increase the prevalence of falls and fall related injuries. There are drugs that have an influence on the central nervous system. They include anti-anxiety and sedatives. The drugs disturb the patients and may lead to falls in the geriatric population. The old population often has trouble in moving from chair to bed and vice versa. Fitting shoes, incorrect use of walking aids
Nursing homes need to ensure that they prevent falls among the geriatric population that reside in a nursing home. There are various ways to reduce falls. The employees in the nursing homes need to adhere to all the health and safety precautions laid down by OSHA. There are many hazards that pose as a risk to the health and safety of the residents in a nursing home (Osha.gov, 2014). The employees are also at risk of having exposure to chemicals and risky conditions. OSHA has launched a program to ensure health and safety in the nursing home. The management of the nursing home must ensure that they carry out regular inspections in the nursing home to mitigate the risk of dangerous situations. Nursing home should adhere to ergonomics to ensure that equipment like wheelchairs is safe for use and the users know how to use it. Toilets in the nursing home should allow the residents to use without difficulties. The residents depend on staff of the nursing home to do their daily activities like bathing, feeding, dressing and toileting. This requires that the staff should always be there to ensure that they help the patients do these activities because the activities present situations that can result to falls.
OSHA recommends that employers should address matters that deal with ergonomics. There are areas in the nursing home facility that will promote safety and health. They include management and leadership. The management and leadership should show commitment to eliminate or reduce residents and patients handling hazards. They should document in writing a program that addresses issues of continuous training of employees to ensure health and safety. If employees in the nursing home receive required training on health and safety, they will tend to reduce incidences of falls and fall related injuries. The employees need to comply with the lift and transfer procedures in the nursing home (Iyer, 2006). This ensures employees use all the transfer procedures.
Participation of employee in the health and safety program is important. The management of the nursing home should allow employees to report cases of unsafe and dangerous working conditions. Employees like nurses should report promptly signs and symptoms of injuries that may have resulted because of falls. Qualified persons should implement a training program in the facility. They should provide continuous education and training to the employees and residents about controls to supervisors, managers and health care providers. They should also train on ergonomic stressors in the nursing home facility. Employees and residents in a nursing home facility should get updates wherever changes occur (Nursing.med.nyu.edu, 2014). The staff should know the importance of physical fitness. The training should provide an overview of potential risks, symptoms of injuries and ways to prevent them.
The patients should receive quality care to ensure that they are satisfied. The staff in the nursing home facility should have the competence required to care for the geriatric population. The nurses should have the qualifications and the experience to allow them to work in a nursing home. This ensures they offer quality care to the patients. The nursing home should use the correct recruitment methods to allow for competent professionals. The work should offer satisfaction to the staff to ensure they deliver to their expected potential. If the staffs receive the motivation needed, they will ensure that they will work well.
The changes will cost much. The costs will come from hiring training professionals, purchase of equipment. Training professionals charge, a fee and the nursing home need to buy aids to help the staff understand the contents of the training program. There is recruitment costs involved. New employees will require orientation to the nursing home and this costs money. The will require items like uniforms to use while in the facility. Training new employees on the basic rules and regulations is expensive. The changes in the facility bring good changes because it increases efficiency. The staffs are able to attend to the residents without difficulties because of right staffing levels. The acquired training allows the employees the employees to do their tasks in a professional way. They are able to follow the lifting and safety procedures. If the staffs follow all the regulations in the facility, risk factors leading to falls will reduce.
The nursing home needs to choose a leader who will act as a change agent to help in reducing the incidence of falls. The leader should allow communication to take place. Communication helps in identifying risks. The leader should ensure that delegation and supervision of duties occur in the right way. The employer should encourage open communication from the employees. He should study other industries that are doing to eliminate risks and incorporate it in the nursing home. Implementation of quality improvement programs in the nursing home will ensure that the facility eliminates and reduces incidence of falls. The use of current technologies that ensure safe delivery of care should be used. The time for the implementation of the changes should allow quicker reduction of falls. Conflict in the nursing facility must receive the attention it deserves. Leaders and medical providers must have the knowledge to manage conflict.
The changes in the nursing home will ensure elimination and preventions of falls in the nursing home. The geriatric population will live well in the nursing home. The staffs will have an easy work in attending to the patients in a nursing home. The reduction of falls is very important in ensuring long lives for the geriatric population.
References
Iyer, P. W. (2006). Nursing home litigation: Investigation and case preparation. Tucson, AZ: Lawyers & Judges Pub. Co.
Joint Commission Resources, Inc. (2005). Reducing the risk of falls in your health care organization. Oakbrook Terrace, Ill: Joint Commission Resources.
Nursing.med.nyu.edu. (2014). Nursing Quality and Performance Improvement. [online] Retrieved from: http://nursing.med.nyu.edu/research-quality/nursing-quality-and- performance-improvement [Accessed: 26 Mar 2014].
Osha.gov. (2014). Hospital eTool: Healthcare Wide Hazards - Ergonomics. [online] Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/hospital/hazards/ergo/ergo.html [Accessed: 26 Mar 2014].
