Brain Injury a Key Risk in Senior Falls

The elderly fear breaking a hip when they fall, but a government study indicates that hitting their head can also have deadly consequences: Brain injuries account for half of all deaths from falls. The study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the first comprehensive national look at the role brain injuries play in fatal elderly falls. It examined 16,000 deaths in 2005 that listed unintentional falls as an underlying cause of death. CDC researchers found that slightly more than half of the deaths were attributed to brain injuries. The other deaths were due to a variety of causes including heart failure, strokes, infections and existing chronic conditions worsened by a broken hip or other injuries sustained in a fall. “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. Each year, one in three Americans age 65 and older fall. About 30 percent of such falls require medical treatment. Previous CDC research showed that the U.S. death rate from falling has risen dramatically — about 55 percent — for the elderly since the 1990s. The new study highlights the role that brain injuries play in such deaths.

Please click on the link below to read the CNN.com article:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/06/24/elderly.falls.ap/index.html

For more information on defending medical malpractice and nursing home matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at The Citron Law Firm, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.

Study Finds Many Patients Dissatisfied With Hospitals

Many hospital patients are dissatisfied with some aspects of their care and might not recommend their hospitals to friends and relatives, the federal government said as it issued ratings for most of the nation’s hospitals, based on the first uniform national survey of patients. The survey was meant to provide a constructive way for patients to complain about arrogant doctors, crabby nurses and dirty or noisy hospital rooms. Medical experts said that some of the complaints bore directly on the quality of care. Many patients reported that they had not been treated with courtesy and respect by doctors and nurses; that they had not received adequate pain medication after surgery; and that they did not understand the instructions they received when discharged from the hospital. Nationwide, in the average hospital, 67 percent of patients said they would definitely recommend the institution where they had been treated to friends and relatives. Sixty-three percent gave their hospitals a score of 9 or 10 on a scale of 0 to 10. At the average hospital, more than 25 percent of patients said nurses had not always communicated well with them. The new data, part of a survey of patient experiences and perceptions of hospital care, is posted at a government Web site, www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.

Please click on the link below to read the New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/29/washington/29hospital.html?_r=1&ref=health&oref=slogin

For more information on defending medical malpractice and nursing home matters in Florida contact Howard Citron at The Citron Law Firm, P.A. – www.citronlegal.com.