Senior Citizens Face Unique Risks When They Suffer Falls

Falls are dangerous and potentially deadly, for most all of us. But fall accidents become even more deadly and dangerous, when senior citizens fall. Senior citizens fall more often than the rest of the population, and in fact, falls are a leading cause of injuries to the senior population.

By some estimates, about 30% of people over the age of 65 will suffer a fall, and 40% of people over the age of 85 will fall. In total, about 3 million elderly people will visit ERs because of fall related injuries.

Why Do Seniors Slip and Fall?

There are a lot of theories as to why seniors are so susceptible to falling and to being injured when they fall.

If you are younger or more able bodied, you may not even notice the number of times that you almost fall, or that you slightly slip, but you catch yourself. Your body just corrects itself as a matter of reflex.

But as we get older, those reflexes slow down, and the muscles that keep us from falling, like all of our muscles, tend to weaken. That means that even falls that younger people avoid, older people may not be able to stop.

Combine that with other obstacles that seniors face when it comes to falls, such as possible reduced eyesight, or balance problems, all of which can contribute to falling. Older people may also have other illnesses, or lack of mobility, that would normally help them observe and avoid dangers that cause falls.

Recovery is Difficult

As we get older, our bodies are less able to recover from whatever injury we do sustain. In fact, not only are we slower to recover, but even moderate injury can lead to larger injuries or problems.

Older people may be too sick, weak, or may just not be in physical shape, to engage in the physical therapy needed to recover from injury the way younger people can.They may not be able to take needed medicines, because of interactions with other medicines that they take.

The Snowball Effect

Many families who have had relatives in falls, note that the injuries sustained in the fall, tend to snowball into even worse conditions.

For example, an elderly person who falls and tears a rotator cuff in the shoulder may need surgery, and then have trouble recovering from surgery, and then while in the hospital, may suffer a stroke or a heart attack.

An elderly person who breaks her hip in a fall, will lead to a sedentary lifestyle, and immobility, leading to a decline in overall health and condition. According to the CDC, about 10% of falls will restrict an elderly person’s ability to carry out their daily activities.

Defendants will often argue that these conditions aren’t caused by the fall, but for many families who know that their elderly loved one was active, healthy and vibrant before they fell, that defense rings hollow.

Contact our Rhode Island personal injury lawyers at Robert E. Craven & Associates at 401-453-2700 today if a loved one has suffered a fall of any kind.

Sources:

helpguide.org/handbook/medical-alert-systems/fall-statistics#:~:text=Although%20falls%20aren’t%20a,adults%2085%20years%20and%20older.

cdc.gov/falls/data-research/facts-stats/index.html