Fall claims allege inadequate assessment, care planning, or supervision. Facilities are required to assess each resident's fall risk, implement individualized interventions, and revise the plan after any fall.
Falls are the most common incident type in long-term care, and not all are preventable given residents' mobility and cognitive limitations.
Alternative Names:
Resident Fall, Fall Claim
Why it Matters?
The defensible fall case is one where risk was assessed, interventions were care-planned and documented as implemented, and the plan was revised after prior falls. The indefensible one shows a resident who fell repeatedly with no change to the plan between incidents. Because residents have a right to mobility, the defense that interventions were limited by resident autonomy and restraint restrictions is legitimate but must be documented contemporaneously.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Are all resident falls preventable?
What documentation defends a fall claim?
