From McKnight’s Long Term Care News & Assisted Living
A New York nursing home that reduced falls by 53% in a year credits program planning, new safeguards and revised resident assessments.
Staff members at The Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Brooklyn, NY, made a number of modifications. One change included switching the color of toilet seats from white to black to enhance depth perception and increase visual contrast.
Another modification involved putting an overlay with built-in sideguards on mattresses of residents who tend to get out of bed unassisted. Staff also completed new pain assessments for cognitively impaired residents with a history of falls, and made medication adjustments as needed.
Nursing home workers observed that falls were more frequent between the hours of 7-9 p.m., when residents had more free time and fewer structured activities. When more activities were added during this time period, the number of falls declined.