Nursing Home Faulted In Fatal Wheelchair Fall
According to a recently released state health department report, a female nursing home resident fell to her death in May 2009 and a Minnesota nursing home is at fault. On the day of the fall, the resident was found on a concrete stairwell landing, face-down, and strapped into her wheelchair. She was unable to be resuscitated.
According to a report released by the Minnesota Health Department, the deceased resident had a history of wandering around the facility and trying to open doors. Merely weeks before her fatal fall, the resident had been found in a stairwell and brought back in to safety by a facility employee. The employee reported the incident to a registered nurse.
The facility, Providence Place, failed to change the woman's care plan after she twice previously attempted to open the door to the same stairwell. The second attempt came only thirty minutes before she died. Her previous care plan, dated December 2008, indicated that the resident "needed assistance of staff to avoid potentially dangerous situations".
