Did you count the deaths from falls among those not in a nursing home? Medically frail people, whether old or not, sometimes fall. No amount of supervision can prevent that. When they fall, sometimes they die. No amount of medical care can change that. When they live, sometimes their lives are so irrevocably altered, they would prefer to be dead and thus refuse care. No amount of wishing they would act differently will change that.

Thank goodness the Star Tribune is printing a story from the point of view of the nursing home staff on Tuesday. Do you have any idea how physically and emotionally hard it is to work at nursing homes? Elderly people are fragile, not to mention occasionally confused, weak, unstable and in pain. Is it really any big surprise that they fall? Would you rather they all be tied to their beds, then they wouldn't fall?!? Falling is occasionally the price for their independence. Thank you to all of you who do work in nursing homes, you do a great service.

Ironically, I just wrote an article on my blog today entitled -- Which Drugs Increase the Risk of Falling for the Elderly? One of the readers of that article sent me the link to this story. My question would be, did you do any research into what drugs the patients were taking before they fell? It is well known throughout the care giving community that the elderly in nursing homes are over medicated. It is a common practice in nursing homes to use anti-psychotic drugs to "calm down" patients suffering from Alzheimer's and dementia. This is done in spite of the fact that these drugs were neither manufactured or designed for use with persons suffering from dementia. Bob DeMarco Alzheimer's Reading Room http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2009/11/which-drugs-increase-risk-of-falling.html

My mother's death in an excellent nursing home was largely due to a fall from her wheelchair. Because there is a senseless law in Minnesota THAT PEOPLE IN WHEELCHAIRS CANNOT BE RESTRAINED, and although they tried to watch her and put her near the nurses station, she fell asleep and fell out, landing on her head which initiated many complications and less than 2 weeks later, she died. I do not fault the nursing honme, I fault this stupid law. Had they been able to restrain her, she would not have fallen and injured herself so seriously.

Even when they are 'good', that is a stretch. It is the companies that own these places that should have their board of directors and CEO's take up residence at their own facilities and 'live' the way their 'clients' do. Things would change might fast if they had to lay/sleep in the crapy beds they provide or eat that dribble they pass off as food. "Do as I say, not as I do" will surely come to haunt some of them.

Ideally there would be a caregiver for every child and for every one of the elderly. A caregiver standing at the ready to intervene and protect. There are, of course, in total more children and elderly than middle aged adults to care for them - so things will happen. That also leaves no one to work at any other job. I hope when the time comes my kids will take me in, instead of a nursing home - not that I wont fall and die, like one of my parents did. Or maybe I'll do what the Eskimos did - when the time comes, the elder leaves on an iceflow with a stash of food, and floats away to reduce the burden on the family. Other cultures, including some native-american did similar. So maybe I'll drive off into the sunset in an RV.

What is the percentage of people who die from injuries related to falls in care facilities vs. the number of people who dies from injuries related to falls in thier own homes or under thier own care? I find the lack of this factual data for comparison startling. How does this compare to national rates?

There is a reason that many providers are leaving positions in long term care facilities, I am one of them. With increasing regulation and decrease funding, it is impossible to provide the level of supervision people entering long term care require. This is reality.

Thank you all for your research on a sad truth. I am hesitant to say, but I do not believe any changes will be made to help our elderly. My Father was also a VICTIM of nursing home mistreatment/abuse and died of "BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA" at the hands of a Hopkins nursing home. He was initially admitted for rehab after a bout of pneumonia and 3 months later was dead. I only hope some day the people who oppose legislation for tougher laws experience the trauma we and others have. That is the only way they will wake up. God Bless.

Because, in a complicated, tumultuous democracy like ours, we need - I repeat, need - solid, fair-minded, aggressive, comprehensive investigative journalism. This series is shaping up to be one of the best ever published in the history of Minnesota journalism.