Placing your parent in a nursing home is never an easy choice. However, it may be necessary if they have osteoporosis and need specialized help. However, your loved one fell down in their nursing home and now suffers from broken bones. Can you sue the nursing home for this injury?

Falls Are Common In The Elderly Population

As we age, falls are more common due to a variety of circumstances. For example, people may lose strength in their bones and muscles and lack the ability to walk for extended periods. Others may start getting dizzy due to balance problems and fall when least expected.

In a nursing home, these kinds of fall are prevented by a variety of methods. For example, seniors known to fall may require physical assistance from a nursing home aide to get around. Others may need wheelchairs or other walking assistance. Unfortunately, falls may still occur and will be even worse if your loved one has osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis Makes Every Fall A Real Danger

When a senior has osteoporosis, their bones are more brittle than they were before the development of the diseases. That's because this disease attacks the strength of the bones and causes other serious complications. Unfortunately, this means that every fall a senior experiences can be a very scary situation for them.

For example, a simple fall out of bed might have been embarrassing before osteoporosis, but with this disease, that kind of fall could cause broken ribs or more. If your loved one has osteoporosis and fell in a nursing home, you may be able to sue them for failing to protect your loved one.

Can You Sue The Nursing Home?

A nursing home has a legal obligation to protect your loved one from injury. Therefore, injuries suffered in their home may be liable to them in a lawsuit. However, the success rate will vary depending on the circumstances of the fall. For example, if the nursing home took appropriate steps to protect your loved one and they still fell, the nursing home might not be liable.

So if your senior fell while getting walking assistance from nursing home aides who followed the proper procedure, liability is not likely to fall on them. However, if they neglected your parent or their problems – such as failing to put up bed rails when your parent has fallen out of bed before, you may be able to sue them.

Liability in these kinds of personal injury lawsuits can be complicated to understand and often require a professional to sort through properly. Don't hesitate to contact a nursing home injury attorney to protect the rights of you and your loved one in this situation.