Safety Paper

Ma. Soledad Payne

Nursing Student

Ms Rebecca Anzaldua, RN
Instructor Kaplan College

Course: Basic Geriatric Nursing ( NR103)

January 18, 2016

Wold, G. (n.d.). Basic Geriatric Nursing (5th edition ed.)

Introduction
Patient safety has been an arising problem in the healthcare industry. The common victim is the
elderly people related to impaired mobility, sensory deficits and living by their own. Nurses,
caregivers and the rest of the healthcare team play a big role in preventing this issues. According
to the"1 National Safety Council reveals that approximately 24,000 people older than 65 years die
from accidental injuries each year and at least 800,000 sustain injuries serious enough to disable
them for at least 1 day".
This document is created to answer the following questions. What are the common reasons of
fall to the elderly? What are the safety measures? What are the ethical nursing concerns impact to
the patients who are at risk in fall? The last but not least what are the nursing interventions and
implications that you can implement in your care of this patient.

Discussion
Falls is safety hazards. It happens in the nursing home or in the home settings. There're a lot of
reasons why the elderly are high fall in risk. The most common are impaired mobility, altered
mental status and sensory or motor deficits. There is a preventive measure on falls issues.
According to the "2 Joint Commission 2012 National Safety Goals require that every patient is
assessed and periodically reassessed for risk for falling, correlating the patient's medications with
11Wold, G. (n.d.). Meeting Safety Needs of Older Adults. In Basic Geriatric
Nursing. Elsevier.

2 DeWit, S., & O'Neil, P. (n.d.). Patient Environment and Safety. In

Fundamental Concept and Skills for Nursing (4th ed., p. 321). Elsevier.
Wold, G. (n.d.). Basic Geriatric Nursing (5th edition ed.)

increased risk for fall". By being said that medication can also the reason of risk of fall. Some
medication has side effects of dizziness and weakness which are nurses should be aware prior
giving and after administering medications. Dementia is a cognitive deficit which some of our
elderly suffered from this kind of disease. Patients are confused and disoriented may lead them to
risk in fall.
The nurses and other caregivers can prevent this fall. By working together start from the CNA's
to nurses; pointing out the patient who a risk in fall. Elderly are fragile by falling will make a big
problem in their health. Sad to say that it happens most due of short of staff but it should not be a
reason to accept this error's. Nurses should delegate staff properly in order to focus this kind of
issues. Priorities those patients needs to be prioritized.
Nursing interventions for this patient who is risk in fall are the following;
3

Evaluate the person for the risk of fall. Identify the patients who are a risk in fall especially

those individuals who currently taking medications that can cause dizziness or fainting.
Encourage the elderly to move at their comfortable space and not in a hurry. Check frequently
the high- risk patients. Make sure call lights, cane, hearing aids and glasses are within reach
with the patient. Provide adequate assistance based on patients abilities and limitations. If needed
to use lifts or other appropriate devices to transfers, don't hesitate to do so.
Modify the environment to reduce risk. Proper lighting, colorful markers on the edges that
visible to the elderly, strong handrails to support during ambulation. Handrail in the toilet and
bathroom can reduce the risk. Avoid to use rugs on the floor especially in a home setting. Make

3 (Wold, pp. 175-176)

Wold, G. (n.d.). Basic Geriatric Nursing (5th edition ed.)

sure the floor is cleared from all clutters. Provide non-skid shoes or socks to the patient. Make
sure all the devices such as wheelchair and the bed are lock. Make sure if the patient is on the
bed to put the bed in low position with the call light within reached. Side rail is up if physician
order. It is also helpful to use the alarm device related to cognitive impairment especially if they
are in a wheelchair to alarm the nurses and caregivers.
Proper Nutrition
During elderly adult most common illness, especially in women are osteoporosis; their bone is
fragile and brittle. It is recommended 1200 mg/ day of calcium supplements. Encourage them to
eat healthy foods. Increased fluid as long as not contraindicated. Dehydration can cause
confusion; confusion can lead to injury or fall.

Conclusion
The safety of our elderly is in our hands the healthcare team. We must be aware that injuries and
fall happen so quickly. As a nurse, we make sure that our patient is free from the risk of fall and
injury. Proper delegation on the staff and time management can prevent the catastrophe. Our
mission as a nurse is to give a 100% proper care, to our patients. We are their advocate, they rely
to us in their remaining life on this earth. Why we can't make it possible? Why we can't make
them happy and comfortable in their short time of their lives?

Wold, G. (n.d.). Basic Geriatric Nursing (5th edition ed.)

Wold, G. (n.d.). Basic Geriatric Nursing (5th edition ed.)