Quick Answer: Falls are one of the most common safety issues in nursing homes. Studies show that 50% to 75% of nursing home residents fall each year, which is roughly twice the rate of older adults living independently. In a typical 100-bed nursing facility, staff report 100 to 200 falls annually, although experts believe many incidents go unreported.
When a loved one falls in a nursing home, families are often told it was simply “part of getting older.” While age and medical conditions can increase a person’s risk of falling, that explanation does not tell the whole story. Many nursing home falls occur because residents do not receive proper supervision, timely assistance, individualized care planning, or a safe environment.
Georgia law recognizes that nursing homes have a duty to protect residents from preventable harm. When a facility fails to assess a resident’s fall risk, ignores known safety concerns, or provides inadequate staffing, a fall may be the result of negligence rather than an unavoidable accident.
How Often Do Nursing Home Falls Occur? (By the Numbers)
Falls are one of the leading causes of injury among nursing home residents, making fall prevention a critical part of quality long-term care.
According to national research and Georgia public health data:
- 50% to 75% of nursing home residents experience at least one fall each year.
- Residents who fall average 2.6 falls annually, making repeat falls common.
- A typical 100-bed nursing home reports between 100 and 200 falls every year.
- Although only about 5% of adults age 65 and older live in nursing homes, residents account for approximately 20% of all fall-related deaths in this age group.
- According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, falls remain a leading cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and injury-related deaths among older adults in Georgia.
These statistics highlight an important reality: while not every fall can be prevented, many can. Nursing homes are expected to identify residents who are at a higher risk of falling and take reasonable steps to reduce that risk.
Repeated falls, unexplained injuries, or incidents involving residents with known mobility issues should never be dismissed without asking questions. A thorough investigation may reveal that the facility failed to follow established safety procedures or ignored warning signs that placed a resident in unnecessary danger.
Understanding how often falls occur is only part of the picture. The next question is why they happen and whether the nursing home could have prevented them in the first place.
If you’re looking for a more in-depth explanation of nursing home fall injuries, legal liability, and the steps families should take after a serious accident, visit our Atlanta Nursing Home Slip & Fall Injury Lawyer page.
Common Causes of Nursing Home Falls in Georgia
Growing older does not automatically mean a person will fall. While many nursing home residents have medical conditions that affect their balance or mobility, facilities are expected to identify those risks and take reasonable steps to reduce them.
When a resident falls because a nursing home failed to provide appropriate care, the incident may be a sign of negligence rather than an unavoidable accident.
Understaffing & Delayed Call Light Responses
One of the most common causes of preventable nursing home falls is inadequate staffing.
Residents often need assistance getting out of bed, transferring to a wheelchair, or using the restroom. When call lights go unanswered because staff are stretched too thin, residents may attempt these activities on their own, significantly increasing the risk of a fall.
Warning signs that understaffing may be contributing to falls include:
- Long wait times after pressing the call button
- Residents wandering without supervision
- Frequent falls involving the same resident
- Staff who appear rushed or overwhelmed
- Falls occurring during shift changes or overnight hours
Adequate staffing is one of the most effective ways to reduce preventable falls, particularly for residents with limited mobility or cognitive impairments.
Medication Errors & Polypharmacy
Many nursing home residents take several prescription medications each day. While these medications may be necessary, some can increase the likelihood of falling by causing:
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Low blood pressure
- Confusion
- Muscle weakness
- Poor coordination
Sedatives, sleep medications, anti-anxiety drugs, opioid pain medications, and certain blood pressure medications are among the medications commonly associated with an increased fall risk.
Nursing homes should regularly review medications, monitor residents for side effects, and adjust care plans when a medication affects balance or alertness.
Environmental Hazards Inside the Facility
The nursing home itself should be designed to minimize fall risks. Unfortunately, unsafe conditions are a frequent factor in preventable accidents.
Common hazards include:
- Wet or slippery floors
- Poor lighting in rooms or hallways
- Cluttered walkways
- Loose rugs or uneven flooring
- Beds positioned too high from the floor
- Missing bathroom grab bars
- Broken or poorly maintained walkers and wheelchairs
Studies estimate that problems with mobility equipment contribute to 16% to 27% of nursing home falls, making regular inspection and maintenance essential.
Lack of Individualized Fall-Risk Assessments
Every resident has different medical conditions, physical limitations, and care needs. That’s why nursing homes are expected to evaluate each resident’s fall risk shortly after admission and whenever their health changes.
A proper assessment helps identify residents who may need additional safety measures, such as:
- Bed or chair alarms
- Low beds
- Scheduled bathroom assistance
- Two-person transfers
- Physical therapy
- Non-slip footwear
- Increased supervision
Completing the assessment is only the beginning. Staff must consistently follow the resident’s individualized care plan and update it after changes in health, medications, or previous falls.
When facilities fail to reassess residents or ignore their own care plans, the risk of another preventable fall increases significantly.
If your loved one has already experienced a fall, our guide on what to do after a nursing home fall explains the immediate steps families can take to protect both their loved one’s health and any potential legal claim.
Many nursing home falls happen because multiple problems occur at the same time, such as understaffing, medication issues, and poor supervision. The next step is determining whether those failures amount to legal negligence under Georgia law.
Is a Nursing Home Legally Liable for a Resident’s Fall in Georgia?
Not every nursing home fall is caused by negligence. Some residents have serious medical conditions that make falls difficult to prevent, even when staff provide appropriate care. However, a nursing home may be legally responsible when it fails to take reasonable steps to protect a resident from a foreseeable fall.
The key question is not simply whether a fall occurred, but whether the facility met the standard of care required under Georgia and federal law.
Georgia Law Protects Nursing Home Residents
Residents of Georgia nursing homes have important legal protections. Under O.C.G.A. § 31-8-100, the Georgia Bill of Rights for Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities, residents have the right to receive care that protects their health, safety, dignity, and well-being.
Federal nursing home regulations also require facilities to identify foreseeable risks, develop individualized care plans, and provide the supervision and assistance necessary to help prevent avoidable accidents.
Fall-Risk Assessments Are More Than a Paperwork Requirement
Every resident should receive a fall-risk assessment when they are admitted to a nursing home and whenever there is a significant change in their physical or cognitive condition.
During this evaluation, staff consider factors such as:
- Previous falls
- Balance or mobility limitations
- Muscle weakness
- Cognitive impairment or dementia
- Medication side effects
- Vision problems
- Use of walkers, wheelchairs, or other mobility devices
Many facilities use standardized tools, such as the Morse Fall Scale, to help identify residents who are at a higher risk of falling.
Based on that assessment, the nursing home should develop an individualized care plan that may include:
- Bed or chair alarms
- Low-profile beds
- Scheduled toileting assistance
- Two-person transfers
- Increased monitoring
- Physical or occupational therapy
- Appropriate mobility equipment
Developing a care plan is only half the job. The facility must also ensure that nurses and caregivers consistently follow it. A well-written care plan does little to protect a resident if staff fail to implement it.
When Does a Fall Become Negligence?
A nursing home may be negligent if a resident’s fall could have been prevented through reasonable care.
Examples include situations where the facility:
- Failed to perform or update a fall-risk assessment
- Ignored previous falls or other warning signs
- Did not follow the resident’s care plan
- Left a high-risk resident unattended
- Failed to respond to call lights within a reasonable time
- Did not provide assistance with transfers or bathroom visits
- Allowed unsafe conditions, such as wet floors or poor lighting
- Failed to repair or replace defective walkers or wheelchairs
These situations deserve careful investigation because they may indicate that the facility breached its duty to provide safe care.
Attorney Bill Holbert’s Perspective
“Nursing homes frequently try to normalize falls by telling families, ‘It just happens with age.’ But when a facility fails to staff enough nurses, ignores a fall-risk assessment, or delays answering a call light, that isn’t an unavoidable accident; it is legal negligence.”
Determining whether negligence occurred often requires reviewing incident reports, medical records, staffing schedules, care plans, and witness statements. An experienced Atlanta nursing home fall lawyer can investigate whether the facility followed the required standard of care and whether its failures contributed to the resident’s injuries.
Falls frequently result in broken hips, traumatic brain injuries, spinal injuries, and other serious complications. To learn more about the injuries families should watch for, read our guide to common nursing home fall injuries.
Free Consultation: Was Your Loved One’s Fall Preventable?
A fall in a nursing home should never be dismissed as “just part of aging” without a thorough investigation. If your loved one suffered a serious injury after falling in a Georgia nursing home or assisted living facility, you may have questions about whether the facility failed to provide proper supervision, staffing, or fall prevention measures.
Attorney Bill Holbert has devoted decades to representing families in nursing home abuse and neglect cases across Georgia. His experience, including years spent defending nursing homes early in his career, gives him valuable insight into how these facilities investigate and defend fall claims. Today, he uses that knowledge to hold negligent facilities accountable and fight for injured residents and their families.
If you believe your loved one’s fall may have been preventable, don’t wait to get answers.
Call today for a FREE, no-obligation case evaluation or contact us online to discuss your family’s legal options. We’re proud to help families throughout Atlanta and across Georgia seek accountability for preventable nursing home injuries.
Legal Disclaimer
Disclaimer: This article is provided for general educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. Reading this article does not create an attorney-client relationship with Holbert Law or Attorney Bill Holbert. Every nursing home fall case is unique and depends on its own facts, medical evidence, and applicable law. If you have questions about a potential nursing home negligence claim, you should consult with an experienced Georgia nursing home attorney.
Sources & References
The information in this article is based on publicly available medical research, government publications, and Georgia law, including:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Older Adult Fall Prevention – Information on older adult falls, prevention strategies, and injury statistics.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Older Adult Falls Data – National and state-level data on falls among adults age 65 and older, including Georgia-specific statistics.
- Georgia General Assembly – O.C.G.A. § 31-8-100 (Residents’ Bill of Rights for Long-Term Care Facilities) – Georgia law establishing the rights of residents living in long-term care facilities.
- Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) – Injury Prevention Program – Information regarding injury prevention and fall-related injuries among older adults in Georgia.