Falls can cause broken bones, like wrist, arm, ankle, and hip fractures. Falls can cause head injuries. These can be very serious, especially if the person is taking certain medicines (like blood thinners). An older person who falls and hits their head should see their doctor right away to make sure they don’t have a brain injury. read more
Given the limited resources available to most medical centers across the United States and the increasing number of elderly patients needing treatment, Cheng's team identified two major predictors of death in patients who have experienced ground-level falls: Age older than 70 years and a Glasgow Coma Scale (a widely used indicator of brain injury) score of less than 15. read more
Older adults are more likely to suffer from a subdural hematoma as a result of a minor head injury, especially for those taking anticoagulants or anti-platelet agents. Elderly nursing home residents are particularly at risk for dangerous subdural hematomas because of increased risk of falls, which can cause dangerous head injuries. read more