Injuries among older adults: the challenge of optimizing safety and minimizing unintended consequences

Abstract

Objectives:To describe the problem of falls, motor vehicle related injuries, and suicide among older adults, and issues related to their prevention.Methods:Summary and synthesis of selected literature.Results:About 39 000 adults aged 65 and older die each year in the United States from injuries; worldwide this annual toll is about 946 000 persons. The top three causes of injury related death in this age goup in the United State are falls, those related to motor vehicle crashes, and suicide. Effective strategies exist for preventing fall related injuries and deaths. Preventing injuries and deaths from motor vehicles and suicide may be more difficult because of the nature of these problems.Conclusions:As the number and percentage of older adults continues to rise in the United States and globally, new approaches to preventing injuries will be critical. Interventions will need to operate at multiple levels—directed at the individual, at interpersonal relationships, and at the community level.

As causas externas no Brasil no ano 2000: comparando a mortalidade e a morbidade

“…É fundamental esclarecer se trata-se de ambiente de trabalho ou doméstico, pois isso vai determinar diferentes estratégias de prevenção. As internações por quedas na população idosa têm se revelado importantes tanto no Brasil quanto em outros paí-ses, e a literatura aponta sucesso nas atividades de prevenção de quedas entre os idosos 8,9 .…”

The burden of injury in Brazil, 2003

“…There is extensive literature on successful measures for preventing falls among the elderly. 16,17 Since most of these events have been classifi ed as unspecifi ed falls, there is a need to improve the information and carry out further research, in order to identify how such injuries are occurring and the risk factors involved in such events.…”

Cause, nature and care-seeking behaviour for injuries among community-dwelling older adults, USA, 2004–2013

“…In fact, injury is the eighth leading cause of death among older adults and from the mortality perspective is comparable in magnitude to Alzheimer's disease, diabetes and influenza 8. During 2001, 2.7 million adults aged 65 and older were treated in emergency departments for non-fatal injuries9 and 39 000 adults age 65 and older died from injuries 10. Non-fatal injuries increased 18% between 2001 and 2013, with 2.9 million older adults treated in emergency rooms (ERs) for non-fatal injuries and 54 500 dying from injuries in 2013 7…”

“…First, most information on the US older adult population is limited to fall-related injuries,7 12–15 with some exceptions 8 10 16. Second, most studies of injuries among older adults in the USA use emergency department or hospital-based samples 11 12 17–19.…”