Abstract
The accidents seen in the elderly have a remarkable impact on their family life and the society they live in. In this study, we have aimed to assess the prevalence, types and characteristics of the accidents seen among the elderly. We performed a cross-sectional study. The data was collected from 486 old people living in Kocaeli Region, in 2003. Demographic features, numbers and the variety of accidents were recorded after interviews. The data were also obtained from a questionnaire given after a physical examination. The ratio of accidents was found to be 9.5% (46 cases) in the study group; of those 71.7% were indoor and 28.3% outdoor accidents. The causes of the accidents were falls (69.6%), cuts (13.0%) and stings (10.9%). The distribution of the indoor accidents was 72.7% for falls, 12.1% for cuts, 9.1% for stings and 6.1% for other injuries. The distribution of the outdoor accidents was 61.5% for falls, 15.4% for cuts, 15.4% for stings and 7.7% for burns. Fall-induced injuries seem to be a major problem among the elderly. The results of our study indicate that the occurrence of indoor accidents is an important health problem in the geriatric population.
Published Version
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