Premium
A Population‐Based Study Examining Injury in Older Adults with and without Dementia
Author(s) -
Meuleners Lynn B.,
Hobday Michelle B.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/jgs.14523
Subject(s) - medicine , dementia , incidence (geometry) , population , confidence interval , rate ratio , cohort study , gerontology , pediatrics , disease , physics , environmental health , optics
Objectives To estimate the incidence of and risk factors for injuries in older adults with and without dementia. Design Retrospective, population‐based cohort study. Setting Western Australian Data Linkage System ( WADLS ). Participants Cases included 29,671 (47.9%) older adults aged 50 and older with an index hospital admission for dementia between 2001 and 2011. Comparison participants without dementia included a random sample of 32,277 (52.1%) older adults aged 50 and older from the state electoral roll. Measurements Hospital admission to a metropolitan tertiary hospital for at least 24 hours with an injury. Results Age‐standardized all‐cause injury rates for older adults with dementia (≥60) were 117 per 1,000 population and 24 per 1,000 population for older adults without dementia. Falls caused the majority of injuries for both groups (dementia, 94%; without dementia, 87%), followed by transport‐related injuries and burns. Multivariate modeling found that older adults with a diagnosis of dementia had more than twice the risk of hospital admission for an injury than those without dementia (incidence rate ratio ( IRR ) = 2.05, 95% confidence interval ( CI ) = 1.96–2.15). Other significant risk factors for a hospital admission for injury were age 85 and older ( IRR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.13–1.81), being unmarried ( IRR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.03–1.12), and a history of falls ( IRR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01–1.06). Women were at lower risk then men of a hospital admission due to an injury ( IRR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.87–0.97). Conclusions Older adults with dementia are at greater risk of a hospital admission for an injury. Multifactorial injury prevention programs would benefit older adults with and without dementia, especially those aged 85 and older, living alone, and with a history of previous falls.