When an elderly loved one requires care outside their home, it is important to find a facility that can meet your loved one’s needs and ensure that they will receive proper care so that they do not sustain preventable injuries. Yet, risks of falls in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, as well as issues with understaffing, can result in different types of accidents that can cause traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in residents. While TBIs are most commonly associated with contact sports (like football and soccer) in the news or with motor vehicle crashes and certain high-risk recreational activities, they also occur more often than you might think in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
According to a new report in McKnights Long-Term Care News, sustaining multiple TBIs can have particularly harmful effects on older adults. In short, multiple TBIs can increase the risk for “worse cognitive decline” and, ultimately, a reduced life expectancy and reduced quality of life. Our San Diego County nursing home neglect lawyers can explain in more detail.
Traumatic Brain Injuries and Dementia in Older Adults
The report in McKnights discusses a recently published study in the peer-reviewed journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, which reveals that “experiencing a traumatic brain injury increases the chances of an older adult having cognitive decline.” The researchers who authored the study conducted cognitive testing on nearly 12,000 older adults over the course of 30 years, with an average age of 58 at the beginning of the study and an average age of 88 by the end of it. During that 30-year time period, 18 percent of the people in the study suffered traumatic brain injuries.
Among the study participants who sustained TBIs, the researchers found that “the adjusted average decline in cognition per decade was more than twice as fast in people with two or more TBIs, but not in people who only had one compared to those who didn’t have any brain injury.” In other words, experiencing two or more TBIs may double the rate of cognitive decline in older adults. As such, the study cites multiple TBIs as a risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Falls Cause TBIs Among Elderly Residents of Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
What is the most common cause of TBIs among older adults? According to the Alzheimer’s Association, falls are the leading cause of brain injuries in seniors — from falls out of bed to slips and falls while attempting to perform daily activities.
While also noting that falls are most often responsible for brain injuries among the elderly, a study in the National Library of Medicine underscores that there are multiple reasons that falls can occur in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Common reasons include having comorbidities that make a person more susceptible to a fall, taking medications that can affect balance or cause confusion, tripping and slipping hazards in the facility, and lack of proper care that would have prevented a fall.
Contact a San Diego County Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorney Today
Whether you have an elderly loved one with a TBI who already resides in a nursing home or a specialized memory care facility or who suffered a traumatic brain injury at an assisted-living facility and now is in need of nursing home care, it may be possible to hold the facility accountable. There are various hazards in nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Southern California that can lead to head trauma among residents, and as the recent study underscores, it is not just the short-term effects that matter — the long-term effects can be serious and even deadly. An experienced San Diego County nursing home negligence attorney can speak with you about your concerns. Contact the Walton Law Firm today.
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