Nursing Home Fall Injuries - What Are Your Rights?

Seniors residing in nursing homes and long term care homes are there for comfort and support.  These facilities exist for the purpose of providing the care and comfort that individuals may require in their advanced age.  Many residents in nursing homes have mobility issues, which make them more vulnerable to falls.  It is the duty of the nursing home to assess residents for falls risk, and implement a plan of care to help protect residents from falls.  

In our experience in handling nursing home negligence cases, we see many fall incidents that could have been prevented.  Many times when we investigate the circumstances, we learn that the nursing home fall occurred because a plan of care or other procedures were not followed by nursing home staff.   Unfortunately, in the elderly, a fall at a nursing home can result in serious injuries, including broken bones, head injuries, brain injuries, and sometimes even death.  

If a loved one was injured in a nursing home fall, you may be able to make a claim for the injuries or losses.  Nursing homes in Ontario are insured for liability in the event that a resident or visitor is injured due to negligence.  In addition to a negligence claim, you can also have the incident investigated by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.  The Ministry will typically conduct an investigation and provide a report of their findings.  You can make a complaint with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care by calling the toll-free Long-Term Care ACTION Line at 1-866-434-0144.   To learn more about making a complaint, you can visit the Ministry of Health's website here.

It is also advisable to contact a Ontario lawyer that handles nursing home negligence and abuse claims.  Iacobelli Law Firm may be able to help if your loved one has been injured as a result of nursing home negligence or abuse.  For a free consultation contact us at 416-900-1070 or 1-866-234-6093.

Andrew Iacobelli is an experienced personal injury lawyer who established Iacobelli Law Firm with offices located in Ontario, Canada as well as offices in Florida, U.S.A. Andrew restricts his practice to the representation of personal injury victims in claims involving serious injuries and wrongful death.

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