Senior citizens who drink alcohol have a much higher risk of experiencing brain bleeds after suffering a slip and fall. Increasing awareness among Senior Citizens is the key to preventing these slip and falls which often cause serious personal injuries.
According to a new study, even seniors who drink moderately may be at a much higher risk of suffering a brain bleed if they have been involved in a slip and fall accident. Slip and fall accidents are some of the most devastating adverse events that seniors can experience. These accidents can result in the kind of personal injuries that not just permanently injure or disable the senior, but also reduce his life span significantly. Slip and fall accidents, for instance, can result in hip fractures which some studies have linked to an increased risk of fatality in the year following the personal injury.
According to the researchers, their studies find a strong correlation between regular drinking and intracranial hemorrhage after a slip and fall accident. The risk of suffering a brain bleed after a fall doubled in the case of seniors who drank weekly. In the case of seniors who drank daily, the risks of suffering a brain bleed increased by 2.5 times.
The study involved more than 3,000 seniors above the age of 65 who were treated at emergency rooms after suffering head injuries in slip and fall accidents. The researchers found that approximately 14% of them suffered a brain bleed. Out of these, approximately 20% were seniors who reported occasional drinking. Twenty-five percent (25%) of seniors who drank daily were diagnosed with brain bleeds. Among seniors who never drank alcohol at all, only 12% suffered a brain bleed after a head injury.
What this study does is underscore the importance of seniors maintaining not just physical and mental health as they enter their sixties, but also the need to avoid alcohol usage in order to reduce their risk of serious personal injury in a slip and fall accident. Slip and falls are the leading cause of both fatal as well as non-fatal personal injuries in American adults. According to the researchers in 2021, slip and fall accidents contributed to as many 36,500 senior wrongful deaths.
To avoid slip and fall accidents, seniors must be vigilant in watching where they walk, choosing the correct shoes with good traction and getting regular vision checks to make sure you see hazards. Get yourself checked by a doctor regularly in order to avoid medical conditions like hypertension that might result in dizziness, fatigue, and light – headedness. Your fitness program must include exercises for balance, gait and coordination. Install railings in your home and grab bars in your bathrooms. Wear well-fitted flat, comfortable and slip-resistant shoes while walking outdoors.
The Atlanta slip and fall accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered injuries in slip and fall accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a fall, talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your legal options for a claim for damages. You may qualify for compensation that includes medical costs, lost income, and other types of damages. Talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your case. Initial consultations are free.