What often happens to the nursing home resident who falls? They break a bone in their leg or arm or hip. Not all residents end up with bone fractures when they fall. Is there a way to determine which of these residents are at “increased risk” of bone fractures? The answer is YES.
The bone mineral density (BMD) of 123 women residents in a nursing home was measured for a research study and the results were presented at a European Medical Symposium in Barcelona, Spain this month. The conclusion(and this is no surprise): Two thirds of the nursing home residents were found to have osteoporotic BMD.
So, with routine screening of newly admitted nursing home residents we can determine which residents are at increased risk of suffering a bone fracture. Armed with this important information, nursing homes can treat these residents with appropriate medications and make certain the at risk resident is getting enough calcium and vitamin D in their diets.