California Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
Elderly residents in Sonoma County nursing homes and in facilities throughout the Bay Area should have an appropriate level of care to meet their needs, and they should also feel safe living in a facility without hazards that could result in falls. Yet much too often, older adults in nursing homes fall and sustain serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). According to a recent study from the Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, older adults who sustain TBIs of any type are at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia. The researchers behind the study, which was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, suggest that fall reduction strategies in nursing homes could potentially reduce the rate of dementia diagnoses, and thus the need for nursing and memory care.
What should you know about the new research, and about brain injuries in nursing homes more broadly? Our Sonoma County nursing home neglect attorneys can provide you with more information.
Concussions and Other TBIs May Increase Risk of Dementia
The recent study analyzed data linked to more than 260,000 older adults with a mean age of 77. Of those studied, approximately 50 percent had suffered a concussion or a more severe form of TBI. The authors of the study determined that, “compared to their peers who had not suffered a traumatic brain injury, a new traumatic brain injury was associated with a 69 percent increased risk of subsequent dementia in the first five years after the injury, and a 56% increased risk beyond five years.” The older the individual was, the more significant the risk of dementia after a brain injury. For those aged 85 and older who sustained a TBI, more than 33% were expected to develop dementia.
While brain injury risks are more prevalent among older adults with cognitive impairments, since the risk of a fall increases, the new study suggests that the likelihood of dementia may increase significantly with a prior fall and brain injury. Given that Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia significantly increase an older adult’s likelihood of losing independence and suffering various forms of abuse and neglect, reducing falls and subsequent brain injuries could potentially reduce nursing home abuse and neglect in the future.
Liability for Brain Injuries in Nursing Homes
When older adults in nursing homes sustain brain injuries — whether “mild” TBIs known as concussions or moderate or severe TBIs — those injuries most often result from falls. And when falls occur in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, the facilities are often liable. Most frequently, falls happen either because of a hazard on the premises due to nursing home negligence or a fall due to lack of appropriate care due to passive neglect.
According to the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), falls are the leading cause of TBIs among seniors.
Contact Our Sonoma County Nursing Home Neglect Lawyers for Assistance with Your Elderly Loved One’s Brain Injury Claim
Do you have an elderly loved one in a Sonoma County nursing home or in a facility elsewhere in the Bay Area who recently sustained a brain injury? More often than not, brain injuries occur in nursing homes as a result of negligence. From understaffing issues that result in residents failing to receive the assistance they need with daily activities that can result in brain injuries such as bathing or getting into and out of bed, to hazards on the premises that lead to falls that result in brain injuries, you may be able to hold the nursing home accountable if your elderly loved one suffered a concussion or another type of traumatic brain injury, an experienced Sonoma County nursing home abuse and neglect attorney can help. Contact the Nursing Home Law Group today for assistance with your case.
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