Being in the elderly care industry, you will be aware that as people age the likelihood of falls increases significantly – the common statistics identify that a third of people over 65 are likely to have a fall in a given year – while for those over 80, that figure is rising closer to 50% and with over 200,000 people falling into this age bracket in New Zealand this is significant.
Luckily 45% of people who fall do not have significant injuries – however they often do have difficulty getting back on their feet on their own – the challenge here is knowing when it is safe to help a resident back on their feet versus waiting for emergency support to lift an elderly resident, which in many instances can be hours vs minutes.
Unfortunately, 20% of residents who are admitted to hospital after a fall will have been on the floor for over an hour and shockingly 50% of these will die within 6 months from complications – even when the fall itself did not injure them.
The 6 potential impacts of a fall cover a range of physical and psychological implications:
1. Pressure injuries can develop:
These occur when the underlying tissue breaks down due to prolonged pressure such as lying on the floor – these can develop within 30 minutes when the pressure causes a lack of blood to the region – starving the cells of oxygen and nutrients. Depending on the time on the floor the sores can range from uncomfortable too painful to life-threatening.
2. Incontinence:
One of the more obvious and least dignified consequences of a resident being left on the floor for extended periods is incontinence which will come with a whole host of medical issues if the resident can’t easily be cleaned, not to mention the psychological embarrassment it causes people.
3. Dehydration:
Whilst the risk of dehydration is greatly reduced in a care home situation it remains a fact that most people who do fall are at risk of suffering this if left for long periods. Being supine on the floor isn’t the most pleasant place to have a drink and many residents will prefer to wait till they back up on their feet; which can be a dangerously long time to go without any liquids at all.
4. Hypothermia:
One of the more serious consequences of being left on the floor for long periods after a fall is hypothermia or the increased risk of contracting illnesses like pneumonia. In an ideal world, a care home resident would fall over in a warm, heavily carpeted room, however, life is rarely that fair.
A lot of falls take place in corridors or walkways with cold tiles underfoot or even outside. This makes things a lot harder when trying to keep the resident warm during the long wait for an ambulance.
5. Psychological - that impacts life:
Research by the American Journal of Epidemiology shows the fear of falling in the elderly will subsequently have a massive impact in reducing their ongoing quality of life. The fear of falling amongst older people occurs in approximately 30% of those who have never fallen and 60% of those who have fallen previously. The person then becomes more dependent on others and less mobile and begins to cut their daily activities. As the fear of falling increases and activity diminishes, muscle strength weakens causing more and more falls.
6. And finally, the worst outcome - Death:
According to a study by Vellas et al 20% of people over 65 admitted to hospital after a fall will be on the ground for over an hour. And as we shared earlier 50% of these will die within six months.
So, what holds us back from lifting residents?
The simplest solution is to empower care staff through clear protocols that allow the safe lifting of those not injured. This will enable better outcomes for our residents and avoid a ‘long lie' situation that can have serious consequences.
If we were to reduce ambulance callouts for the 45% of fall incidents where there are no injuries, and only call them in emergencies, it would have a positive flow-on effect on wait times for when we do have emergencies.
We have a great product offering that can support safe, fast lifting when no injuries or other medical event has occurred – these simple, easy to use product offers can lift your residents in any location, whether that’s outside in the garden or in a confined space indoors without the need for plug-in power.
Click here for more information on our safe lifting product range.
Or get in touch to understand how we can support you in how to create best practise lifting solutions for your care residence. We are here to help.
Ngā mihi,
The Cubro team