Coroner's Finding: Hazell, Nancy

100y · Female·frailty and fracture of the right neck of femur

Nancy Muriel Hazell, aged 100, was a long-term resident of an aged care facility with appropriate falls prevention measures in place including bed/chair sensors, call bells, and physiotherapy. She sustained an unwitnessed fall from her armchair on 25 June 2022, fracturing her right neck of femur. Despite orthopaedic surgery, her condition declined post-operatively and she died on 30 June 2022 from frailty and the hip fracture. The coroner identified that her chair sensor did not activate before the fall, which might have allowed staff intervention to prevent it. The facility had no explanation for the sensor failure. The key clinical lesson is ensuring that safety equipment in aged care is regularly tested and maintained to function reliably, as equipment failure can eliminate critical protective measures for vulnerable elderly residents at high fall risk.