Missed Injuries in the Elderly Population
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. It is possible to overlook an injury when someone has sustained multiple injuries in a traumatic event. This is common among the older population. While the extent of injuries is just as broad as the accidents that cause them, there are some injuries that older people tend to sustain more than others. Examples of some of these injuries include:
- Hip Fractures: Older individuals often develop osteoporosis, which makes it easier for them to suffer bone fractures. One of the commonly injured bones is the hip. Hip fractures often happen during a fall due to balance and mobility issues that older individuals develop.
- Facial Fractures: Older people also suffer facial injuries at a higher rate than their peers. When people fall, they often extend their arms to brace their fall and protect their face and internal organs. While this predisposes someone to sustain radial fractures, this reflex is often slowed in older people.
While these represent common and, possibly, significant injuries that aren’t often missed, there are some reasons why smaller injuries could be missed in the elderly population.
Overlooking Injuries: The Elderly Population
There are several reasons why injuries in the elderly might be missed. Some of them include:
- Cognitive Decline: they cannot voice symptoms that they are suffering in the same way that a younger individual might. If old people cannot communicate that their leg hurts, this increases the chances that their leg injury might be missed. The same can be said of injuries in other locations as well.
- Skin Folds: Often, clues about injuries are picked up on from scrapes, scratches, and bruises that are on the surface of the skin. In the elderly population, these injuries are often hidden in the skin folds, making them harder to detect.
Consequences of Missing Injuries
If these injuries are missed, several important effects might result. Missing bone fractures could lead to improper healing of the fractures themselves, limiting the mobility and ability of elderly individuals to perform their daily activities. Missing cuts and scrapes could lead to additional bleeding that could have been prevented otherwise. If injuries to the scalp are missed due to hair, brain injuries could also go unnoticed, potentially leading to added harm that could have otherwise been avoided.
Legal Help for Elderly Injuries
The impacts of missing serious injuries can have wide-ranging effects on the quality of life of an elderly loved one. These injuries can lead to consequences on someone’s mobility, activities of daily living, personality problems or changes, and even prolonged hospital stays. All of this can also lead to significant financial ramifications on the family due to added days in the hospital, additional complications from injuries, and possible time missing work. It is a good idea for a family to sit down and speak with a compassionate attorney. There are many different issues that a lawyer can provide assistance with, including paperwork, negotiating with insurance companies to provide financial coverage and help with interpreting complicated language that is often found in medical records.
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Personal Injury Lawyers in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. Some injuries can have long-term effects on life. If you or a family member has been injured in an accident, call me for free, friendly advice at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400.
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Image Attribution: The image from the top was found on Unsplash and has been reproduced at this location with permission.
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