In the United States each year, the costs of injuries to the elderly caused by slip and fall accidents reach nearly $75 billion. This cost includes extensive medical costs for the treatment of the fracture, assisted living care, and in home care that is necessary after a fall. California personal injury attorneys are amazed that even with the high cost of expenses related to these accidents, very little research has been conducted to learn how to prevent these falls from happening, especially in those over the age of 65.
Statistics show that every year, about 1/3 of the people over age 65 experience a fall. Many times this results in a fractured hip, with 20% of these people dying within one year. Many falls in the elderly can be attributed to medicine changes and other health conditions such as cardiovascular illness. Dementia and deteriorating muscles also cause this age group to be more likely to slip and fall.
A handful of geriatric health experts have focused on studying fall prevention, but their studies tend to be built on reports from volunteers and doctor visits, which means that the results are not real reliable. These studies are not very thorough, and don’t usually result in any revealing new information about why the elderly slip and fall so frequently. These studies don’t offer up much in the way of answering questions as to how slip and fall accidents can be reduced.
Research on slip and fall prevention is starting to get very innovative according to the New York Times, who states that researchers are beginning to use low cost wireless sensors in the homes of older people that provide information by monitoring their walking patterns. These steps are being taken in an effort to learn what activities they do that put them at an increased risk of falling. Researchers say that tracking activity patterns and the fine tuning that are possible by using these sensors help uncover new insight into what causes the elderly to fall, so that new prevention programs can be developed.
These sensors can be placed in the person’s clothing and in the carpet, so that the person’s speed of walking can be monitored, as well as step width and length of stride. This also takes into account the sway of the body while they are walking. The measurements taken by the sensors are very exact, and help in determining the fall risk for that person. Geriatric health experts have conducted a few of the studies using sensors. The studies that have been conducted may now help us to understand why the elderly fall so often, and how to decrease the incidence of falls in older individuals.
The Reeves Law Group has offices across California and is dedicated to representing Los Angeles personal injury victims, including victims of slip and fall. Please contact us for a free consultation at (800) 644-8000.