Hip, Pelvis, and Femur Fractures in Nursing Homes 

A hip fracture in a nursing home resident is usually the end result of a fall precaution that was ordered and not followed, and a nursing home hip fracture lawyer who is a nurse reads the care plan to show it.

A hip fracture changes everything for an older adult. Surgery within a day or two, weeks of rehabilitation, a high chance of never walking unassisted again, and a risk of death in the following year that most families are never told about. The fracture itself is rarely in dispute. The case is in why it happened: a resident assessed as a high fall risk who was left in a chair with no alarm, a two-person transfer done by one aide, a bed left in the high position, a call light that went unanswered for twenty minutes. Those facts are in the facility’s own records.

How These Fractures Happen

• Falls from bed when rails, low beds, or floor mats were ordered and not used

• Falls during toileting when a resident ordered for assistance was left alone

• Transfers done by one aide when two, or a mechanical lift, were ordered

• Drops from a lift sling or wheelchair during repositioning

• Falls while wandering unsupervised

What We Investigate

• The fall-risk score on admission and after each change in condition

• The care plan interventions and whether they were in place on the shift of the fall

• The incident report, who witnessed the fall, and whether it was unwitnessed

• Staffing on the unit that shift

• Whether the family and physician were told the same day

• The hospital record: the type of fracture, the surgery, and the complications

Why the Elder Abuse Act Applies
A fracture that follows an ignored care plan is not an accident; it is neglect under Welfare and Institutions Code section 15610.57. When the facility’s conduct was reckless, the family can recover attorney’s fees and damages for the resident’s pain and suffering (section 15657).