More than 100,000 nursing home residents experienced a serious facial injury — mostly due to falls — during a five-year span, according to a study in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.
Researchers used the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System to determine how often people over age 60 experienced facial trauma. They examined data from January 2011 through December 2015.
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They found 109,795 nursing home residents who had to go to the emergency department for facial trauma during that time. Most of the injuries were due to "direct contact with structural housing elements or fixed items" (57 percent) and getting in and out of bed (23 percent), according to the study.
"We encourage families moving their loved ones into a skilled nursing facility to inquire about the level of supervision provided, particularly with regards to transfer to and from bed as well as assistance using the bathroom," Peter Svider, MD, one of the study's authors, told Reuters.