Florida Nursing Home Found Guilty in Resident’s Fatal Fall
Nearly seven years after a 78-year-old resident experienced a fatal fall in a Florida nursing home, a jury returned a verdict of negligence against the facility and awarded $200,000 to the resident’s children. The children first filed the civil lawsuit in the fall of 2013. The jury’s verdict was issued on March 22, 2019.
The jury determined that the nursing home failed to follow the care plan it had developed and that was designed to prevent the resident from falling.
The management company was dismissed from the suit due to a lack of evidence to connect its operations directly to the incident; however, the nursing home’s parent company, barring an appeal, will be required to compensate the two remaining children of the resident.
The nursing home is now owned by a completely different company.
Compliance Perspective
Failure to develop and implement comprehensive care plans that address the fall risk of residents may constitute neglect and be considered substandard quality of care in violation of federal regulations.
Discussion Points:
- Review policies and procedures regarding the development and implementation of residents’ comprehensive care plans.
- Train staff on how to develop and implement a comprehensive care plan that addresses the fall risk of residents and includes methods for the intervention and prevention of falls.
- Periodically audit the care plans of residents who are at high risk for falling to determine if their fall risk has been included and if interventions are being consistently implemented by staff members.
