A government study found that half of all the deaths in Americans over the age of 65 years are due to brain injuries resulting from a fall. The study, a first of its kind, was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to look into the role brain injuries play in fatal falls for the elderly. It examined 16,000 deaths in 2005 which listed accidental falls as the cause of death. They discovered that slightly more than half of these deaths were due to brain injuries due to an accidental fall causing death.
"A lot of people don't think a fall is serious unless they broke a bone, they don't think it's serious unless they break a hip. They don't worry about their head," said Pat Flemming, a senior physical therapist and researcher at Vanderbilt University
According to the report which was released in the June issue of the Journal of Safety Research, traumatic brain injuries due to falls caused nearly 8,000 deaths and 56,000 hospitalizations in 2005 among Americans 65 and older. Falls do tend to effect the elderly more due to muscle weakness, mobility problems, poor balance and home hazards such as clutter etc to name a few.
"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 Dr. Ileana Arias, director of CDCa€?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."