Updated June 08, 2015.

One of the primary safety hazards for geriatric patients is falling while in the hospital. When an older person falls while admitted for care in a hospital, there are many issues that raise the stakes.

1. When an elderly person falls, they are at great risk for breaking bones in this fragile population.
2. If a geriatric patient falls and breaks a hip, it will lead to very expensive recovery care, including a longer stay in the hospital, an orthopedic procedure, to name just a few.

1. Since the fall happened while the patient was admitted to the hospital, it will be coded as a "Hospital Acquired Condition". That means the hospital will get little to no reimbursement for the expense of healing this patient.
2. Sometimes, a broken hip can lead to fatal complications.
3. If the patient breaks a hip, and loses ambulatory mobility, two more consequences arise: First, the patient will require more intensive nursing care for activities of daily living, getting to and from the bathroom, sitting up to eat and drink, and repositioning while in the bed. Second, since the patient loses mobility, they will have to spend more time in their hospital bed, which increases the likelihood of developing one or more pressure ulcers (also known as "bed sores"). Pressure ulcers are yet another Hospital Acquired Condition that get little to no insurance reimbursement, so the hospital pays for the care associated with this ailment. Pressure ulcers, and preventing them, require more intensive nursing care because the patient needs to be repositioned in their bed often so that their body weight, heat, and friction does not cause or worsen the bed sore.

Design and Medical Supply Solutions

Fortunately, good design and medical supply planning can help prevent these dangerous and costly falls in a hospital unit dedicated to senior care.

Lighting: Soft night lights can be installed to come one when the room gets dark. This will help guide the patient safely from their bed to the bathroom at night. Enough light to provide direction, yet not so much that it disturbs or prevents the patient from sleeping. In addition to installing a night light on the wall on the way to the bathroom, consider a light installed that will illuminate the floor around the patient's hospital bed. When stepping out of the bed, they'll need to see if there are any cords, tubes, or wheel bases n their way. And there often will be.

Handrails: Handrails around the room and bathroom can help prevent falls also. Consider specifying handrails made of antimicrobial copper for its natural germ-killing advantages over stainless steel and other metals. It's also far more effective for infection prevention than a wood or laminate handrail.

Flooring: Although traditionally hospital rooms and corridors have used hard floors such as vinyl tiles or vinyl sheet goods, that was mainly because there was no other option for flooring that could be easily cleaned, especially when the spills could be blood, urine, and other fluids that foster bacterial growth.

But hard floors are hard surfaces, so when a geriatric patient falls, there will be a good chance that they will suffer a serious injury. Now there are antimicrobial carpet tiles. Carpet tiles provide a softer landing when someone falls on them. Carpet also makes the room quieter due to its superior sound absorption properties versus vinyl, wood, or laminate floors. Therefore patients have a better chance for healthful rest.

And finally, carpet tile science has evolved to the point where the carpet is treated with stain, germ, and moisture defenses that make them as easy to clean, and arguable easier, than hard floors. For those instances where a carpet tile has been to soiled to clean, the hospital staff can quickly and simply replace the soiled tile with a new one. No contractor required, just keep an extra stock of carpet tile in your hospital for this need. Since carpet tiles are installed with no glue or floor preparation, not only is there no need for a contractor when you are just replacing a few tiles, you also avoid the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that glue and flooring preparation release into the air.