Can my Mom's caregiver be held responsible for my Mom falling and getting hurt?

My first thought was whether the dog had something to do with the fall. When I brought LO home (she was off the charts as far as a fall risk, but was still discharged to her home) I asked the staff what were the most common causes of elder falls. I was told two things cause a high percentage of falls: dogs and throw rugs. My LO had both of those things in addition to step stools and other things which could cause a fall. I just wonder if the dog played a role in this fall. All the more reason why caregiver is not automatically to blame and perhaps this lady is unsafe with a dog around.

No.

It's impossible to keep seniors, especially those with dementia, from falling. So no, it's incredibly unlikely the caregiver can be held responsible unless you can prove she purposely pushed her or something.

Birds chirp, dogs bark, cats meow, old people fall. It's the way of the world.

Not without proof that the caregiver was negligent or did something to purposely cause your mothers fall! My mother lives in Assisted Living and has fallen more than 50x, which has been nobody's fault but her own. She always has a "better" way of doing things and has no sense of safety or responsibility for doing things to keep herself safe. Now, with dementia, she's got even less executive brain function to reason with!

It's human nature to want to blame someone or something for what's oftentimes a true accident, especially where demented elders are concerned.

Good luck resolving your issue and I hope your mom wasn't seriously hurt.

I read your profile.

You say that you are going to move mom to be near you in New Jersey.

I hope that you are speaking about a facility and not in your home.

Your mother is not capable of caring for a dog. I would not allow her to bring a dog to New Jersey.

It doesn’t sound like the caregiver is fond of dogs.

Do you know the circumstances of the fall?

If the caregiver was negligent in some way she is responsible.

Have you considered cameras?

I don’t think I would have a caregiver for a parent without having a camera.

Falls are serious in the elderly. Some falls will require an emergency room visit, others won’t.

I definitely would not want a caregiver that didn’t take falls seriously.

Was your mom seriously hurt during falls while in this caregiver’s care?

I was speaking to a friend of mine recently. She was terribly upset.

She is suing her mom’s previous nursing home.

Her mom was walking with a walker. She fell broke her femur and had surgery, went through rehab but can no longer walk.

She’s been in a wheelchair since the fall. I don’t know if she will win this case. I don’t know all of the details of her mom’s case.

She moved her mom to a different nursing facility and is happy with the care she is receiving.

Does your mom have only one caregiver? That’s a lot of work for one person. Does she have any time off?

Tell us a little bit more please. Does mom fall often?