Preventing Falls Flashcards
Bed Rail
A device that serves as a guard or barrier along the side of the bed; side rail
Gait Belt
A device applied around the waist and used to support a person who is unsteady or disabled; gait belt
Position change alarm
Any physical or electronic device that monitors a person’s movement and alerts staff of movement.
Most at risk for falling
65+ years
CDC states
Each year, over 1/4 of adults age 65 and older fall, Falls are the main cause of injuries and injury-related deaths in older adults, Falls can cause serious injuries (head injuries, fractures of wrist, arm, ankle, and hip), Fear of falling affects quality of life.
Most important risk factor
Make sure bed is locked
How to help falls
Help the person get down to the ground. Don’t prevent falls; let falls happen carefully.
Gait Belt
Apply at waist and tuck excess
Helping person falling
Bring person down so buttocks are on nursing assistant’s leg, then eased to floor.
If find fallen person
Stay with fallen person and call for nurse
Bariatric falling
Move items out of their headway, call for nurse
To put patient back on bed
Use mechanical life that reaches the floor (roll the person onto his or her side and position an assist device, have at least 2 staff members on each side, bend your knees, kneel on 1 knee, grasp the blanket, lift smoothly with your legs, don’t bend back)
These statements are about falls. Which is true?
Most are caused by many risk factors.
Which person has the lowest risk of falls?
A 60-year-old with a hearing aid
A person’s care plan includes fall prevention measures. Which should you question?
Check the person every 2 hours.
You observe the following in the person’s room. Which is unsafe?
The lamp cord is by the chair
You note the following after a person is dressed. Which is safe?
The person is wearing slip-resistant shoes.
A resident’s chair alarm goes off. What should you do?
Assist the resident
To help prevent falls, you need to report
Clutter on stairways
Bed rails are used
According to the care plan
Before transferring a person to bed, you must
Lock the bed wheels
A transfer/ gait belt is applied
over clothing at the waist
To safely use a transfer/gait belt, you must
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions
You apply a transfer/gait belt. What should you do with the excess strap?
Tuck it into the belt
A person starts to fall. Your first action is to
Bring the person close to your body as fast as possible
When a bariatric person falls, you should
Try to protect the person’s head
You found a person lying on the floor.
What should you do?
Call for the nurse
