Emergency care: Falls

As a nursing assistant, sometimes you will need to handle some emergencies while providing care for clients; one of these is when a client falls.

Now, clients at risk for falls should always use assistive devices when ambulating, and a nursing assistant should be present with them during ambulation in the event that they begin to fall.

If a client does begin to fall or appears unsteady or complains of dizziness, hold your arms up and around the client’s waist or under their arms.

Grab onto the transfer belt if already in use and bring them closer to your body. Be sure to keep your feet shoulder width apart to give you a wide base of support and keep your back straight.

Don't pull their arms trying to stop the fall as this may cause further injury to their bones or joints. Then, let the client slowly slide down while leaning against you until their buttocks rests on your legs.As they slide down, bend your hips and knees to gently lower the client to the floor; make sure to protect the client’s head from injury.

Now, stay with the client, calm them down, and call a nurse to assess them. If you find a client on the floor, and you didn’t witness the fall, don’t try to move them as this may worsen any injury they might have had.

Stay with the client, calm them down, and call a nurse to assess them. Alright, after alerting the nurse in charge, they’ll check the client for injuries.

For those with minor or no injuries, you can work on transferring them back to their bed. If the client can stand on their own, let them do so while observing them or help them to stand using a transfer belt.

If the client can’t stand, you will need to manually lift the client using a transfer or drawsheet or use an assistive device, like a mechanical lift.

Another co-worker should assist you in manual or mechanical lifting of the client; the larger the client, the more co-workers you will need to assist you.

First, ask your co-worker to roll the client into the lateral position, so you can place the drawsheet underneath them. Now, roll the client to the lateral position facing you to let your co-worker pull the sheet towards them, so when the client is rolled back into a supine position, the sheet stretches from your side to your co-worker’s.

Make sure the client is positioned in the center of the sheet.Grab the drawsheet firmly, keep their backs straight, and kneel on one knee.

Now, slowly lift the client together with your co-worker on the count of 3. Be sure you’re using good body mechanics.

Okay, based on facility policy, you might be asked to assist the nurse completing the incidence report. You will need to provide information like when the fall occurred, the status of the client before the fall, activities the client was doing when the fall occurred, any complaints the clients had before and after the fall, actions taken by the staff, and the client’s status after the fall.

All right, as a quick recap… One of the emergencies that you could encounter is clients falling. If you witness a client who starts to fall, use good body mechanics to help bring the client down to the floor safely.

Calm the client down and don’t move them until a nurse checks for any injury. After making sure the client has no injuries, assist them in moving back to bed.

Finally, help the nurse fill in an