Actress Phyllis Diller was 95 when she passed away in her home in Los Angeles, California. Yet the elderly actress’ death can be traced back to a fall that debilitated her and eventually put her onto hospice care. The fact is that falls among the elderly are especially dangerous. As men and women get older, their bodies get more brittle. A hard fall can break bones or damage internal organs in a matter of minutes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that falls are the number one cause of death from injury in men and women that are 65 or older. For 20 to 30 percent of all seniors, a tumble results in head trauma, a hip fracture, or a laceration. All of these injuries can bring about a premature death.
The elderly are not only at higher risk to adverse effects from a fall, but fall more often on the whole. About 43 out of every 1,000 seniors will take a dangerous tumble in their older years. For those that are over 75, 115 out of every 1,000 will fall. The American Journal of Managed Care shows that the frequency of falls among Medicare patients is a predictor of potential death, hospitalization, and placement in residential care facilities. The seniors who fall often experience a greater functional decline in the activities of day to day life. They are often restrained from physical and social activities after their fall, and are at a greater risk to institutionalization.
If you or a loved one has taken a tumble that could have been prevented by a third party, then you need to hold that person/business accountable by seeking damages. As an elderly American, your tumble could put you at a serious risk to losing the quality of your life.
If you slipped in a wet puddle that was left at a supermarket, or tripped over an item in a store aisle that should not have been placed in a pedestrian’s way, then talk to personal injury lawyer to get representation for your case.