New research, AOL News has learned, suggests an intriguing answer: The huge increase never happened.
In the past, deaths from falls often were misattributed to pneumonia or some other disease, according to Guoqing Hu of China's Central South University and Susan P. Baker of Johns Hopkins. They believe the introduction of new federal death certificate rules in the late 1990s inspired more accurate reporting.
In other words, a high level of fall fatalities among the elderly probably existed, unrecognized, back in the day.
The size of the death toll led to a spate of programs to help older people avoid falls, including a National Falls Prevention Awareness Day proclamation from Congress.
Research projects seeking to cast new light on the causes of elder falls proliferated along with efforts to find new methods of prevention. Two recent examples:
A study by an Australian medical team found that over-the-top worrying about a fall can actually increase the likelihood that elders will tumble -- even though, from a physical point of view, their risk of falling is low. Old people who don't worry about it so much and are at high risk fall less often than expected.
On the prevention side, a study by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers found that computer-enabled nursing directions specifically designed for individual patients can substantially reduce falls among the elderly.
The usual generic instructions posted at the bedside fail to allow for a patient's particular needs and mental status. For example, the individualized directions might alert nurses to a patient's habit of ignoring doctor's orders and trying to walk to the bathroom on his own.
It does seem that falling and aging have more in common than a suffix. The other day, I was running across Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, trying to catch a bus, when my foot caught on the curb and I went sprawling. As soon I was vertical, with the help of some bystanders, I knew there was one thing I had to do. But I didn't.
Scientists stress the importance of older people having a medical exam after a fall. "There can be injuries, especially brain injuries, that you may not be aware of," Patricia Dykes, the lead researcher on the Brigham study, told AOL News. "Even if you feel fine, you should be checked."
In recent years, the medical community has increasingly recognized that relatively minor injuries that would not endanger the life of a younger person can prove fatal for the elderly.
A visit to the doctor was precisely what I refused to do after my tumble but I was lucky -- there was no serious damage, except to my pride. Next time, I'll do better.
A study in California found that among elders who had gone to a doctor in the previous year and had fallen more than once, only 46 percent mentioned a fall as the reason for their medical visit.
After my spill, I did examine my various medications to make sure they weren't at fault. My previous fall, some years before, had come early one morning courtesy of a pill for an enlarged prostate.
Gerontologists warn that antidepressants in particular can induce falls, but interactions among the variety of medications many older people take can also lead to dizziness and a fall.
Other factors of a fall: Poor vision caused by eye disease or the failure to wear prescribed glasses. Lack of regular exercise, which reduces muscle tone and sense of balance. Dangerous home conditions, such as torn carpets and bad lighting.
Sponsored LinksFatalities aside, elder fall injuries are numerous and expensive. More than 2 million older people were treated for fall-related injuries in emergency rooms in 2009; a quarter of them were hospitalized. Treatment cost is somewhere in excess of $20 billion.
Falls often occur when elders insist on continuing activities their bodies can no longer sustain. Ancient tennis players, runners and once-a-year softball players -- take heed.
I remember one afternoon on Nantucket Island when I decided I could fill the basket of a borrowed bike with a heavy load. I got a few yards before I toppled over, sustaining a cut that required six stitches.
Ten years earlier, that errand would have been a snap. Talk about riding for a fall. Filed under: Nation, Health Tagged: elderly, elderly falls, falls, gerontology, health and medicine, national falls prevention awareness day, seniors Related Searches: fall prevention, senior citizens, Follow AOL News on Facebook and Twitter.
2011 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved. #default-copyright
Robert W. Stock Contributor For years now, a set of deadly figures has perplexed U.S. scientists: How was it possible that the number of elderly people who died each year from falls could have soared more than 50 percent in less than a decade to reach 18,000?
New research, AOL News has learned, suggests an intriguing answer: The huge increase never happened.
In the past, deaths from falls often were misattributed to pneumonia or some other disease, according to Guoqing Hu of China's Central South University and Susan P. Baker of Johns Hopkins. They believe the introduction of new federal death certificate rules in the late 1990s inspired more accurate reporting.
In other words, a high level of fall fatalities among the elderly probably existed, unrecognized, back in the day.
The size of the death toll led to a spate of programs to help older people avoid falls, including a National Falls Prevention Awareness Day proclamation from Congress.
Research projects seeking to cast new light on the causes of elder falls proliferated along with efforts to find new methods of prevention. Two recent examples:
A study by an Australian medical team found that over-the-top worrying about a fall can actually increase the likelihood that elders will tumble -- even though, from a physical point of view, their risk of falling is low. Old people who don't worry about it so much and are at high risk fall less often than expected.
On the prevention side, a study by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers found that computer-enabled nursing directions specifically designed for individual patients can substantially reduce falls among the elderly.
The usual generic instructions posted at the bedside fail to allow for a patient's particular needs and mental status. For example, the individualized directions might alert nurses to a patient's habit of ignoring doctor's orders and trying to walk to the bathroom on his own.
It does seem that falling and aging have more in common than a suffix. The other day, I was running across Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, trying to catch a bus, when my foot caught on the curb and I went sprawling. As soon I was vertical, with the help of some bystanders, I knew there was one thing I had to do. But I didn't.
Scientists stress the importance of older people having a medical exam after a fall. "There can be injuries, especially brain injuries, that you may not be aware of," Patricia Dykes, the lead researcher on the Brigham study, told AOL News. "Even if you feel fine, you should be checked."
In recent years, the medical community has increasingly recognized that relatively minor injuries that would not endanger the life of a younger person can prove fatal for the elderly.
A visit to the doctor was precisely what I refused to do after my tumble but I was lucky -- there was no serious damage, except to my pride. Next time, I'll do better.
A study in California found that among elders who had gone to a doctor in the previous year and had fallen more than once, only 46 percent mentioned a fall as the reason for their medical visit.
After my spill, I did examine my various medications to make sure they weren't at fault. My previous fall, some years before, had come early one morning courtesy of a pill for an enlarged prostate.
Gerontologists warn that antidepressants in particular can induce falls, but interactions among the variety of medications many older people take can also lead to dizziness and a fall.
Other factors of a fall: Poor vision caused by eye disease or the failure to wear prescribed glasses. Lack of regular exercise, which reduces muscle tone and sense of balance. Dangerous home conditions, such as torn carpets and bad lighting.
Sponsored LinksFatalities aside, elder fall injuries are numerous and expensive. More than 2 million older people were treated for fall-related injuries in emergency rooms in 2009; a quarter of them were hospitalized. Treatment cost is somewhere in excess of $20 billion.
Falls often occur when elders insist on continuing activities their bodies can no longer sustain. Ancient tennis players, runners and once-a-year softball players -- take heed.
I remember one afternoon on Nantucket Island when I decided I could fill the basket of a borrowed bike with a heavy load. I got a few yards before I toppled over, sustaining a cut that required six stitches.
Ten years earlier, that errand would have been a snap. Talk about riding for a fall. Filed under: Nation, Health Tagged: elderly, elderly falls, falls, gerontology, health and medicine, national falls prevention awareness day, seniors Related Searches: fall prevention, senior citizens, Follow AOL News on Facebook and Twitter.
2011 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved. #default-copyright
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New research, AOL News has learned, suggests an intriguing answer: The huge increase never happened.
In the past, deaths from falls often were misattributed to pneumonia or some other disease, according to Guoqing Hu of China's Central South University and Susan P. Baker of Johns Hopkins. They believe the introduction of new federal death certificate rules in the late 1990s inspired more accurate reporting.
In other words, a high level of fall fatalities among the elderly probably existed, unrecognized, back in the day.
The size of the death toll led to a spate of programs to help older people avoid falls, including a National Falls Prevention Awareness Day proclamation from Congress.
Research projects seeking to cast new light on the causes of elder falls proliferated along with efforts to find new methods of prevention. Two recent examples:
A study by an Australian medical team found that over-the-top worrying about a fall can actually increase the likelihood that elders will tumble -- even though, from a physical point of view, their risk of falling is low. Old people who don't worry about it so much and are at high risk fall less often than expected.
On the prevention side, a study by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School researchers found that computer-enabled nursing directions specifically designed for individual patients can substantially reduce falls among the elderly.
The usual generic instructions posted at the bedside fail to allow for a patient's particular needs and mental status. For example, the individualized directions might alert nurses to a patient's habit of ignoring doctor's orders and trying to walk to the bathroom on his own.
It does seem that falling and aging have more in common than a suffix. The other day, I was running across Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, trying to catch a bus, when my foot caught on the curb and I went sprawling. As soon I was vertical, with the help of some bystanders, I knew there was one thing I had to do. But I didn't.
Scientists stress the importance of older people having a medical exam after a fall. "There can be injuries, especially brain injuries, that you may not be aware of," Patricia Dykes, the lead researcher on the Brigham study, told AOL News. "Even if you feel fine, you should be checked."
In recent years, the medical community has increasingly recognized that relatively minor injuries that would not endanger the life of a younger person can prove fatal for the elderly.
A visit to the doctor was precisely what I refused to do after my tumble but I was lucky -- there was no serious damage, except to my pride. Next time, I'll do better.
A study in California found that among elders who had gone to a doctor in the previous year and had fallen more than once, only 46 percent mentioned a fall as the reason for their medical visit.
After my spill, I did examine my various medications to make sure they weren't at fault. My previous fall, some years before, had come early one morning courtesy of a pill for an enlarged prostate.
Gerontologists warn that antidepressants in particular can induce falls, but interactions among the variety of medications many older people take can also lead to dizziness and a fall.
Other factors of a fall: Poor vision caused by eye disease or the failure to wear prescribed glasses. Lack of regular exercise, which reduces muscle tone and sense of balance. Dangerous home conditions, such as torn carpets and bad lighting.
Sponsored LinksFatalities aside, elder fall injuries are numerous and expensive. More than 2 million older people were treated for fall-related injuries in emergency rooms in 2009; a quarter of them were hospitalized. Treatment cost is somewhere in excess of $20 billion.
Falls often occur when elders insist on continuing activities their bodies can no longer sustain. Ancient tennis players, runners and once-a-year softball players -- take heed.
I remember one afternoon on Nantucket Island when I decided I could fill the basket of a borrowed bike with a heavy load. I got a few yards before I toppled over, sustaining a cut that required six stitches.
Ten years earlier, that errand would have been a snap. Talk about riding for a fall. Filed under: Nation, Health Tagged: elderly, elderly falls, falls, gerontology, health and medicine, national falls prevention awareness day, seniors Related Searches: fall prevention, senior citizens, Follow AOL News on Facebook and Twitter.
2011 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved. #default-copyright
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