Was the Nursing Home Bed Fall Preventable? The Questions That Clarify What Happened

Families place an immense amount of trust in the nursing home overseeing their loved one’s care and treatment. When you get the news that an accident happened, and the details don’t add up, it can make families question that trust and whether the nursing home had something to do with the accident in some way.

If you are asking was the nursing home bed fall preventable, you’re trying to understand what led to the fall and what should have been in place for your loved one. The questions below help you get clear, specific information, so you can make sense of what happened and what comes next.

9 Questions That Help You Understand What Happened

Along with these questions, we recommend speaking with an attorney. Our team has decades of experience investigating nursing homes and holding them accountable, and you can team up with us for no upfront costs.

1. Was your loved one considered high fall risk, and when was that assessed?

A facility should have a sense of who needs extra support getting in and out of bed. Risk can change quickly after a hospitalization, an infection, a new medication, a new mobility issue, or the start of confusion or agitation. 

Ask when the most recent assessment happened and what it showed. Their answer helps you see whether the facility had a care plan for your loved one, specific to their condition, or whether the fall caught them off guard.

2. Has there been a recent change in mobility, strength, or alertness?

You may be told your loved one has been weaker lately, almost in passing, as if it is just part of the backdrop. Although the statement might come quickly, those details can be one of the most important details in the whole conversation. 

The ability to stand, pivot, and settle back into bed can change quickly, and the same is true for using a call light properly every time, especially when a medication has been added or adjusted, or when dizziness and confusion begin to occur. If that happens, it’s a nursing home’s responsibility to adapt a resident’s care plan to accommodate their condition.

When you hear that kind of shift, keep the discussion there a little longer. Ask what specifically changed, when staff first noticed it, and what they did differently because of it.

3. Have there been prior falls, close calls, or nighttime attempts to get up?

A single fall might be an isolated incident. When it is the second or third time, it starts to feel less like bad luck and more like a warning that something about the plan is not working.

If the staff mentions earlier falls, near falls, or times your loved one tried to get up alone, slow the conversation down and ask what changed after those moments. Did they adjust supervision at night, move the call light, lower the bed, add scheduled toileting, or update the care plan in any meaningful way? The answers tell whether the facility treated earlier incidents as a signal and responded before your loved one got hurt again.

4. Where was the bed height set, and was it adjusted for safe transfers?

Bed height is one of those details that can feel almost too basic to matter, until you think about how people actually get out of bed in the middle of the night. If the mattress sits higher than a resident’s knees, they may slide down before their feet find the floor. If the bed is set very low, standing can take more strength than they have, and that moment of wobble is enough.

Ask what bed height was being used for your loved one and why. Was it set up to support safe transfers for their current mobility, or was it left at a default setting? Then, ask whether it was in that position at the time of the fall, and if it was changed afterward.

5. Where was the call light, and could your loved one realistically reach and use it?

Call lights sound straightforward, but they only help if your loved one can reach them and use them in the moment. If the button is clipped too far away, buried under blankets, or set on the “wrong” side for someone who favors one hand, it often goes unused. 

Ask where the call light was at bedtime and where it was found after the fall, whether your loved one typically uses it, or whether staff often find them trying to do things alone. In many falls from bed in nursing homes, an equipment failure like this is to blame.

6. What fall prevention tools were part of the care plan for bed safety?

This question gets to something simple: was there a special plan for keeping your loved one safe in and around the bed, or was everyone relying on a generic routine?

Ask what was actually in place, what was supposed to be in place, and what changed afterward.

The plan looks different from person to person, but what you’re listening for is a plan that fits your loved one’s needs, with the room setup and supervision to match.

7. Were bed rails used, and if so, what kind and why?

Bed rails are one of those topics that can get brushed off with a quick answer, even though the details matter. For some residents, a rail offers a stable surface to hold when they shift positions or sit up. For others, it creates a risk of entrapment and other injury.

Ask what decision was made for your loved one and for what purpose. If rails were used, what kind were they, and what were they treating? If rails were not used, what was used instead to keep transfers and nighttime movement safer? 

8. How was the fall discovered, and how long was your loved one on the floor?

This is one of the questions families tend to remember because it addresses both safety and dignity. Time on the floor can mean more pain, more fear, and sometimes a worse injury. It can also tell you something about how closely your loved one was being checked, especially overnight.

Ask for a clear timeline. If they say the fall was “unwitnessed,” ask when your loved one was last seen or checked, when they were found, and what happened in the first few minutes afterward.

9. What medical evaluation happened, and what changed afterward to prevent a repeat?

A serious fall should trigger a careful response that includes checking for injury, reviewing medications that could affect balance or alertness, and discussing what led to the fall. 

But that’s not the only important response. Falls are often described as a one-time event, but the important part is what the facility changes afterward. What updates were made to the care plan? What will staff do differently tonight, and what should you expect to see going forward?

If You’re Left With More Questions Than Answers

If you’re handling a bed fall in a nursing home, it helps to talk with someone who can listen carefully, translate what you are hearing, and explain what options exist.

At Morgan & Morgan, we’ve helped countless families find the truth that nursing homes try to keep concealed. Our team is here to help, and you can get started today with a free, no-risk case evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do you know if a nursing home bed fall was preventable?

Look at what the facility knew about your loved one’s risk and what was done to reduce it. When families ask was the nursing home bed fall preventable, the answer usually comes from the care plan, the room setup, supervision, and what changed after warning signs.

2. Are nursing homes responsible when someone falls out of bed?

It depends on the circumstances and state law. A fall by itself does not prove fault, but the facility should be able to explain its safety plan and why it was appropriate.

3. What are common causes of falls from bed in nursing homes?

Common causes include weakness, confusion, medication side effects, rushing to the bathroom, bed height issues, call light access problems, and gaps in overnight supervision. Many falls from bed in nursing homes involve more than one factor at once.

4. What should a nursing home do after a resident falls from bed?

The facility should evaluate for injury, document what happened, notify the family, and review what led to the fall. The care plan should be updated, so the same conditions are less likely to repeat.

5. What injuries are common after a fall from bed?

Injuries can range from bruises and skin tears to fractures and head injuries. Some residents also experience a loss of mobility or increased fear of getting up afterward.