There has been a significant focus on UK care homes following COVID-19. Care homes have had to quickly adapt their working practices, to keep their residents and staff safe. Approximately 400,000 older people are currently living in UK care homes. Care home residents remain one of the most vulnerable populations in our society with complex health and social care needs, including frailty, dementia and multiple comorbidities which infer together an elevated falls risk. Falls are not pleasant to experience, and can lead to loss of life, serious injury and pain. They are also not pleasant to witness, as care home staff will describe.
Care home residents are three times more likely to fall than people living in the community. Residents continue to fall, and in the current climate, with multiple changes required to best manage COVID-19, it is difficult to support care home staff to prevent, modify and manage falls
SOURCES:
https://www.carehomeprofessional.com/university-led-care-home-study-cuts-falls-by-43/
British Journal of Community NursingVol. 17, No. 5 Care of the Older Person, Thinking falls – taking action: a falls prevention tool for care homes
Making Home Home 