From: logon23x@gmail.com   
      
   AP March 17, 2017, 10:40 AM    
   Head injuries, concussions from falls rising fast among seniors, study finds    
        
   Many older adults are afraid their independence will be taken away if they   
   admit to falling, so they minimize it, one aging expert said.      
      
      
   Elderly people are suffering concussions and other brain injuries from falls   
   at what appear to be unprecedented rates, according to a new report from U.S.   
   government researchers.    
      
   The reason for the increase isn’t clear, the report’s authors said. But   
   one likely factor is that a growing number of elderly people are living at   
   home and taking repeated tumbles, said one expert.    
      
   “Many older adults are afraid their independence will be taken away if they   
   admit to falling, and so they minimize it,” said Dr. Lauren Southerland, an   
   Ohio State University emergency physician who specializes in geriatric care.    
      
    Hidden health threats tripping up seniors    
   Hidden health threats tripping up seniors    
   But what may seem like a mild initial fall may cause concussions or other   
   problems that increase the chances of future falls — and more severe   
   injuries, she said.    
      
   Whatever the cause, the numbers are striking, according to the new report   
   released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.    
      
   One in every 45 Americans 75 and older suffered brain injuries that resulted   
   in emergency department visits, hospitalizations, or deaths in 2013. The rate   
   for that age group jumped 76 percent from 2007. The rate of these injuries for   
   people of all ages    
   rose 39 percent over that time, hitting a record level, the CDC found.    
      
   The report, which explored brain injuries in general, also found an increase   
   in brain injuries from suicides and suicide attempts, mainly gunshot wounds to   
   the head. Brain injuries from car crashes fell.    
      
   But the elderly suffered at far higher rates than any other group.    
      
   It’s well known that falls among the elderly are common. Older people are   
   more likely to have impaired vision, dizziness and other de-stabilizing health   
   problems, and are less likely than younger people to have the strength and   
   agility to find their    
   feet once they begin to lose their balance. The CDC had already reported that   
   falls were the top cause of injuries and deaths from injury among older   
   people; an estimated 27,000 Americans die each year from falls.    
      
   But even experts on elderly falls said the new numbers were striking.    
      
   Health officials have been increasing their focus on brain injuries among all   
   ages, especially younger people. CDC investigators thought the overall rise in   
   brain injuries might be mainly caused by rising awareness of sports-related   
   head injuries in kids    
   and young adults, and more diagnosis of injuries in that group that in the   
   past were not recorded.    
      
   “But when we dug a little bit more into the numbers, we found the larger   
   driver is older adult falls,” said the CDC’s Matt Breiding, a co-author of   
   the new report.    
      
   The toll from elderly falls has been under-recognized by physicians and by   
   seniors themselves, Southerland said.    
      
   But one fall can quickly lead to others. In a study published last year,   
   Southerland and other Ohio State researchers found that more than a third of   
   older adults with minor head injuries end up back in the ER within 90 days.    
      
   Even when they see a doctor, the future risk may be missed. In hospital   
   emergency departments, it’s not unusual for a 25-year-old athlete who fell   
   on his head to get a more thorough evaluation for concussion than an elderly   
   retiree, said Southerland,    
   who is trying to develop a standard for assessing concussions in geriatric ER   
   patients.    
      
   Surveys show that most older adults want to live at home for as long as   
   possible. Research is mixed on what the healthiest and safest setting is for a   
   senior — often it depends on the individual. “There are people falling in   
   nursing homes as well,”    
   Southerland said.    
      
   Seniors are advised to have their vision checked regularly and do Tai Chi or   
   other exercises that can strengthen legs and improve balance. Experts also   
   advise making an elderly person’s home safer by removing loose rugs and   
   other tripping hazards,    
   improving lighting and installing handrails and grab bars.    
      
      
   http://www.cbsnews.com/news/brain-injuries-concussions-from-fall   
   -older-americans/    
      
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