March has been designated brain injury awareness month. Brain injuries are often associated with sports injuries, car crashes, and other types of accidents. What many people fail to realize is that falls also make up a significant amount of brain injuries, ranging from mild, like a concussion to very serious and even death. Millions of older adults fall each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control (“CDC”), more than 1 in 4 adults age 65 and over fall each year. The scary thing is that less than half of those older adults that do fall tell their doctors. Even more terrifying than that is the fact that falling one time doubles the likelihood of that person falling a second time.
Which brings us to the question—why do seniors remain quiet about falling? Researchers studying this question are not sure there is just one answer to this question. One explanation could lie in the fact that many seniors value their independence and feel they may lose it if they report their accident. While a nursing home can be safer alternatives to living at home, falls can and do happen in nursing homes too.
Exacerbating the problem of underreporting is that often when older adults do report falls, they do not necessarily receive the same thorough evaluation as a younger person who reports with a sports-related head injury, for example. Health care professionals may also miss the increased risk for a second fall—which could lead to a severe brain injury or even death. Falls that cause trauma to the head can be especially dangerous for older adults as they make be taking blood thinners or other medications that can worsen the condition.
Elderly persons are much more likely to have a severe fall than younger adults because they often suffer from at least one of the following that makes them more vulnerable:
- Impaired vision makes it more difficult to see a tripping hazard
- Dizziness due to medications
- Lower body weakness due to other medical conditions or age
- Foot pain or poor footwear
- Health problems that cause instability
- Lack of agility and strength that makes them less able to find their feet when they find themselves off balance
After an initial fall, an older adult may be fearful of having a second fall, even if they were not injured. As a result, he or she may limit their activities and become overall less active. Inactivity for an older adult is problematic as it can lead to weakness and thereby actually increase the likelihood of another fall.
The good news is that there are things older adults can do to prevent brain injuries and falls, including:
- Improve balance and strength through an exercise program like Tai Chi
- Have their vision checked regularly
- If living at home, make sure that home is a safe place by removing tripping hazards like loose rugs, improving lighting, installing grab bars in the shower or tub
- Schedule a doctor’s appointment to discuss their fall risk and to make sure they are not experiencing any side effects of medications that could cause blurred vision or dizziness
If your loved one suffered a traumatic brain injury or other injuries as the result of a fall while living at a nursing home, you must speak with experienced Kansas City Personal Injury Attorneys as soon as possible. Proving a case of nursing home negligence or abuse requires vital knowledge of the law and due diligence to investigate the facts. The Personal Injury and Elder Abuse Attorneys at Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P., have helped countless injured nursing home victims around the area, both in Kansas and Missouri. Our attorneys know how to win a case. To speak with an attorney about your loved one, contact our office at (816) 472-4673 to schedule a consultation. At Hubbard & Kurtz, L.L.P., we fight for justice.