Here is a list of things that you can do, to protect the elderly from a slip and fall within a nursing home:

1. Watch out for wet floors – It’s no surprise that wet floors can cause someone to slip or fall. We have all slipped at one point in our life from the ground being wet.  Nursing homes are required to maintain their facility and watch out for areas that may be wet.  If you identify an area in a nursing home where the ground is wet, alert the nursing staff immediately.
2. Loose carpet – From time to time, you may walk into a grocery store and trip over a mat placed near the front of company’s door.  The mat, though placed there for you to wipe your feet, may not be securely placed on the ground, which consequently creates a hazard to patrons entering the store.  Again, notify proper staff immediately, if you find an area at the nursing home where the carpet or flooring may cause an elderly person to slip and fall.

<h2>Reporting Slip and Falls</h2>

The first step to report slip and falls is actually to visit the hospital.  You want to make sure that your loved one is taken care of properly and that there are no internal damages (in addition to external cuts, bruises and/or lacerations).

Next, be sure to document as much information as possible about the incident.  Items to include in your notes include the names of the nursing home staff at the time of the accident and the exact location of the incident.  If you can, take pictures of the area for documentation purposes.

Finally, if the slip and fall resulted in serious injury or even wrongful death, you may want to consider hiring an nursing home abuse attorney.

While it may be difficult attribute a wrongful death to a particular incident (or incidents) at a nursing home that involves abuse or neglect, there are a handful of ways that loved ones can do to help prevent these deaths from occurring.

Preventing wrongful deaths

The first step to prevent wrongful death is to listen to your loved one. Are they trying to tell you that something is wrong? Listen to how they are speaking to you and the words that he/she is using (or not using). Are they reluctant to tell you how a particular nurse or caretaker is? Do they become angry easily or avoid social interaction?

Another step is to interview the nursing staff. Do staff members actually care to communicate? If they are short, or moody with you in any way, they may be a potential problem for your loved one.

Finally, unscheduled night visits. Often times, unscheduled night visits will place the nursing staff on high alert to be on their best behavior. By visiting the nursing home at night, you have the opportunity to identify whether or not the nursing home is adequately staffed.

How to Report Wrongful Deaths

If you suspect that your loved one way be a wrongful death victim, report it immediately to the proper authorities. Document as much information as possible. From the names of the nurses who were responsible for caring for your loved one, to names of any witnesses who may have witness any sort of crime that may have occurred.  Click here to report elder abuse in your state.