As we age, the risk of unintentional injuries rises. A new Centers for Disease Control study looks specifically at unintentional injuries among older adults. Older people can and should take precautions to help prevent avoidable injuries.
Each year, about 60,000 older adults die from unintentional injuries. In 2019, the majority of them, 34,000, died from falls. About 8,000, 13 percent, died from motor vehicle accidents. A tiny fraction, 3,000, died from accidental drug overdose or poisoning.
On top of that, an even larger number of older adults experience unintentional non-deadly injuries, with grave health consequences. They might experience severe brain injury and inability to care for themselves.
In 2018, 2.4 million older adults visited the emergency room. More than 700,000 of them ended up hospitalized. More than 90 percent of those visits were caused by falls.
Women are more prone than men to experience an unintentional injury. They are more likely to end up in the emergency department and to be hospitalized for a fall than men. But, men are more likely to die from an unintentional fall.
The likelihood of falling increases with age, with one in four older adults falling each year. But, the likelihood of being in a motor-vehicle crash declines. The researchers posit that people tend to drive less as they age.
You can prevent these unintentional injuries. Falls do not have to be part of aging. Talk to your doctor.
Sometimes, exercise to improve balance and strengthen muscles can make all the difference between suffering from an unintentional injury and not. Physical therapy visits can also help; Medicare covers medically necessary physical therapy. Eye exams, which Medicare generally does not cover, can detect and correct poor vision. Good vision can help in preventing avoidable injuries.
Your doctor should also check your feet at least once a year to ensure you have the right footwear to minimize your risk of falling. Medication reductions can also help, particularly reducing use of benzodiazepines, opioids and anti-depressants.
Visit this Just Care post to learn how to make your home safer.
Here’s more from Just Care:
- Aging in place: Safety at home
- Medicare covers physical, speech and occupational therapy
- Protect your eyesight: Free and low-cost vision care
- Five steps to get your affairs in order in case of emergency
- Two ways to make sure Medicare covers ambulance services
- Five exercises to improve balance for safety and health
