Home Health & Hospice Week

Add one more reason to the list of why you should work hard to prevent falls in your patients.

Nearly 8,000 fatalities and 56,000 hospitalizations occurred in 2005 among Americans 65 and older due to traumatic brain injuries from falls, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, released in the June issue of the Journal of Safety Research.

Hidden danger: Traumatic brain injuries or TBIs are caused by a bump or blow to the head, but they may be missed completely or even misdiagnosed among older adults. TBIs often result in long-term cognitive, emotional or functional impairments and in 2005 alone, TBIs accounted for 50 percent of unintentional fall deaths and 8 percent of nonfatal fall-related hospitalizations among seniors.

"Most people think older adults may only break their hip when they fall, but our research shows that traumatic brain injuries can also be a serious consequence," said Ileana Arias, director of CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. "These injuries can cause long-term problems and affect how someone thinks or functions. They can also impact a person's emotional well-being."

Each year, one in three older Americans (65 and older) falls, and 30 percent of falls cause injuries requiring medical treatment. In 2005, nearly 16,000 older adults died from falls, 1.8 million older adults were treated in emergency departments, and 433,000 of these patients were hospitalized. Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and nonfatal injuries for those 65 and over.

This study analyzed 2005 data from the National Center for Health Statistics' National Vital Statistics System and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Some of the key findings of the study include:

• Death rates for fall-related TBIs were higher among men than women, although rates for fall-related TBI hospitalizations were similar among men and women.

• Death and hospitalization rates for fall-related TBIs generally increased with age.

• Other findings show that a majority of men and women hospitalized with a fall-related TBI spent two to six days in the hospital with the median total charge for these hospitalizations being $19,191 for men and $16,006 for women.

"CDC has developed tips and suggestions for older adults, their caregivers, health care providers, and communities to help prevent falls," according to Arias. And CDC has developed the "Help Seniors Live Better, Longer: Prevent Brain Injury" initiative, including resources for practitioners and community-based organizations, it says.