Why Are Falls Dangerous For Seniors?

The severity of health conditions such as heart disease or cancer in seniors is widely known. In addition to this, another serious health consequence for seniors is falling. Falls among seniors are not new and have become a common thing now.

Usually, seniors aged 65 or above are more likely to fall compared to others. Unfortunately, many seniors die from falls every year. Not all falls result in serious injuries but still, there are plenty of cases where it becomes life-threatening.

What Are The Consequences Of Falls Among Seniors?

The severity of the fall depends on the nature of the accident. There are chances that a senior falling to the ground can result in a broken hip, traumatic brain injury, or a few bumps or scrapes. Besides this, the most common injuries related to the fall include fractured bones and soft tissue injuries. All these injuries can cause trauma to seniors due to which they might end up getting hospitalized and losing their confidence.

Why Do Falls Result In Death Among Seniors?

Recovering from fall-related injuries is difficult for seniors because of advanced age, frailty, and medical conditions. Usually ground level falls among seniors are not that serious but sometimes it can result in severe injuries.

It is mostly the head injury resulting from the fall which is responsible for the senior’s death due to fall. The other injuries for the seniors resulting from the falls such as broken bones, and prognosis are also complicated for the seniors.

There are times when the senior survives hospitalization but the recovery period in hospitals lasts longer. This in turn increases the chances of developing infections such as Pneumonia, and Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).

Effect Of Falls On Senior’s Mental Health

Even if the senior got no injuries from a fall, it renders a senior incapable of caring for themselves. The research reveals that only 22% of the seniors began functioning on their own after getting discharged from a hospital.

Some seniors reduce their activity levels after a painful and traumatic incident because they develop a fear of falling again. The seniors are also aware of how dangerous the falls can be.

Most of the time, it is the fear of getting hurt or disabled due to which, there are behavioral changes in the seniors after they had an injury due to a fall. Such changes on the part of the seniors can result in social isolation which in turn can lead to depression or dementia.

Consequently, the best way to prevent falls is to address and minimize hazards before they make the senior’s fall. Taking the desired precautions can increase the senior’s independence and also boost their confidence.