How do you assess if a fall needs medical care in the days of COVID?

UPDATE:
I called 911 this morning & she was transported to Kaiser. They determined she did fracture her hip.😭
She is having surgery in the morning.
Please keep her in your Prayers.

Covid or no Covid, your Gma needs to assed by the medical professionals. If she is not able to now walk and is having pain when trying to, that is a clear indication that there is an issue and that she needs to be seen in ER, or her regular PC.
You must remember that just because Covid is still around doesn't mean that we are to ignore our/others health issues, as that can only make things worse.

And if there is a next time that she falls, please call 911, and they will come out to not only pick her up, but will also asses her in the home. If they feel there is no need to transport her to the hospital there is no charge. Only if they have to transport her, will there be.

I hope she will be ok, and you will have wisdom and discernment as to what to do for her.

She should be seen. Any fall in a person of that age should be checked out. And especially if she can not walk.
The staff at the hospital does everything they can to isolate those that may have symptoms but things can happen. But it is more important that your grandma be seen and properly treated.
IF she broke her hip she most likely will not walk again unless it is treated. And the life expectancy of an untreated hip fracture is about 12 months or fewer

Also if there is a break there is a very good possibility that this was a BREAK and FALL not a FALL and BREAK.
Many times the hip will break causing the fall not the other way around.

I'm not sure that her being confined in her chair all night is going to help. Do you have a wheelchair or a wheeled commode in the house?

If she can stand, she can transfer from chair to wheelchair, then from wheelchair to bed. Then see how she is in the morning. (any stairs to negotiate?)

If you really can't move her from the chair, then I think you'd better ring for advice. If you can get hold of her doctor or physical therapist (or any competent, qualified practitioner) on the phone, that person can talk you through what to check to decide whether she needs to be seen immediately or whether it's safe to "watch-and-wait."

The trouble is that you can never know if it's the fall that hurt the hip, or the hip (neck of femur, usually) giving way that caused the fall. How stable is she when she stands and holds during changes? - but anyway, try not to stress out too much! And do get proper medical advice.

I think that she needs to be medically assessed.

My mom had vascular dementia and fell once again in the house. This was in April 2020, so the emts were afraid to bring her to the er because of the Covid risk, and just got her back into bed.

After about two days of watching her languish in bed, refuse almost all food and drink, I went in and demanded I call an ambulance and have her evaluated. They said she had a uti and vascular dementia and after a too short time in the hospital on iv antibiotics.... She was transferred to a snf for "REHAB"......... SHE NEVER IMPROVED AS FAR AS BEING BEDRIDDEN AND INCONTINENT........ BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STORY........... I THINK YOUR LO NEEDS MEDICAL EVALALUATION ASAP!

Please take her to urgent care to evaluate her hip. It might not be broken but it might be bruised or a slight dislocation. You won't know until she is evaluated.

You could take her to an ER not a Hospital and they could take an x ray to make sure she doesnot have internal bleeding.
Mare sure nothing is broken.
It could just be sore and bruised.

BUT, better to be safe than sorry.

Friend's 85 YO dad fell last week, said he was alright but later complained of pain. ER visit and MRI showed he has 3 cracked vertebrae. Contact the Dr office and ask where to go, maybe there is a separate lab facility that can do the X-rays without going to a hospital.

Another's friends Mom complained for weeks about pain in her hip. Turns out her husband had kneed her in his sleep and broke her hip! The elderly are so fragile, it’s better to get it checked ASAP than let it go and have an injury worsen.

She definately needs some imaging studies if she appears to have list mobility.

if you want to avoid the hospital, you may be able to take her to her PCP and go to an outpatient radiology facility.

in an abundance of caution, however, your PCP will probably direct you to an emergency room.

if she has a fracture that needs to be set, she could heal improperly without treatment.

Just call 911 and have some qualified EMTs evaluate her! Every time she falls, no if ands or buts about it. People wind up dying from not getting medical care because of fear of a virus. Don't be one of them.