Why are hip fractures in the elderly so deadly?
In: Biology
There are a few reasons.
First, they’re old. Their body doesn’t heal like it used to. Broken bones are sharp. There’s a chance that the bone causes more damage internally.
They’re sick. They have lots of other health problems. This can effect how long it takes them to recover.
They’re fragile. Most hip fractures are accompanied by a fall. What most people don’t know, is that usually the hip fracture occurs first, which then causes the fall. They often hit things on their way down. Usually their head. The blood vessels, especially in the head, are also more fragile. This only makes things worse. A bonk on the head can cause irreversible brain hemorrhage which can be deadly or leave them totally dependent on others.
They’re on lots of meds. Goes hand in hand with the last 2 points. Maybe they’re on blood thinners. Even a simple fall on blood thinners can be lethal. Maybe they’re a diabetic and fell in between taking their meds and eating. So now they’re laying on the floor while their sugar is crashing because…
They’re weak. They don’t have the body strength to pick themselves up. They can’t drag themselves to the door or the phone to call for help. So they lay there and scream, except…
They’re alone. This happens most in older folk that live alone or with another elderly spouse. If they’re alone, they have no one coming to help them. Until family hasn’t heard from them in awhile, or the mail piles up, or someone finally hears screaming. Why can’t they use their cell phone?
They grew up without it. They aren’t used to carrying a phone around everywhere. A mobile phone is a relatively new invention for them. They also may or may not have the ability to see the screen. Maybe their glasses fell off. Maybe they cant roll around to get their body weight off the phone so that they can get it out of their pocket.
So they lay there. Until they’re found. Or until someone notices they’re gone. And then it’s too late.
ELI5: imagine if we left your baby brother home alone, and an emergency happened. He couldn’t get up and get help. He couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t call for help. All he could do is lay there and cry for help. He’d be entirely dependent on someone else coming to help him.
Life alert / medical alert pendants save lives. Do they get inadvertently activated sometimes? Sure. But they absolutely save lives for their designed audience. If you have an elderly person in your life that lives alone, they need one. If I had to recommend a single piece of equipment to elderly people for safety, it’s one of those.
Latest Answers