According to the Brain Injury Association, there are currently five million Americans living with traumatic brain injury. One of the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries may surprise you because it is as simple as taking a fall. Connie Holmes. LSW, who works with neurosurgery patients at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, talks about the dangers of falling and how to prevent falls from occurring:
What is considered a traumatic brain injury?
The brain is pretty well protected, but any bump or blow to the brain that affects how the brain works can be considered a traumatic brain injury. Most of those injuries are from bruising, bleeding, twisting, or tearing of the brain tissue.
There short-term and long-term brain injuries. What does that mean?
The injuries we see are mild to severe, and as you might expect a mild injury would resolve more quickly than the severe injury, which would require hospitalization and a longer recovery time.
What are the signs or symptoms of a traumatic brain injury?
The signs and symptoms can be very subtle and show up right after an injury, or they can take days or weeks to appear. Some of the more obvious signs of a severe injury are:
- A headache that won't go away
- Nausea, repeated vomiting
- Seizures, slurred speech
- weakness or numbness in arms or legs
- Loss of coordination
- Increased confusion
- Restlessness
- Dilated pupils
Some subtle signs that might indicate a mild injury can include having trouble:
- Remembering things
- Paying attention or concentrating
- Organizing your day
- Problem-solving
There can be some confusion or loss of balance, maybe feeling dizzy or lightheaded; also maybe blurry vision or mood changes or ringing in your ears. Those kinds of symptoms are somewhat subtle.
I want to add here that older adults taking a blood thinner should see their doctor right away after any blow or bump to the head, even if they don't have any of the symptoms.
People fall every day—on the snow and ice or around their homes, what makes a fall likely to cause a brain injury?
The impact from the fall can cause the bruising or bleeding we talked about. I think the severity depends on how people fall, what part of the brain or their head is impacted. With this icy weather, we've really seen an increase in these types of injuries here at the hospital.
Who is most at risk for falling which would lead to a brain injury?
As you mentioned earlier, this is brain injury awareness month and this year the campaign is focusing on the older adult, those over 75, because we know they are at most risk of falling and falls really are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury.
What can anyone do to prevent falls from occurring?
This is what we're focusing on in our campaign. There are some simple suggestions that can make a big difference to help make the home environment safe because most falls happen at home:
- Remove clutter and small throw rugs
- Get a night
- Install grab bars in the bathroom
- Have mats in the bathtub or shower
- Have handrails on stairs
- Older adults should wear shoes that provide good support
We ask people to consider talking to their health care provider about the prescription and non-prescription medications they take. Some of those medications (or a combination of them) can cause drowsiness or light-headedness, which can lead to a fall.
Another tip is exercise. We're always talking about exercise, but in the senior population, exercise can improve balance and coordination. Again, talk with your doctor to see what exercise are best for you.
Vision is another thing that can contribute to falls. Be sure older adults hve appropriate eye glasses, if needed, and cataracts or glaucoma aren't present to limit vision and increase a person's risk of tripping or falling.
Is UI Hospitals and Clinics doing anything this month to educate patients about fall prevention?
Many of my colleagues at the hospital are partnering with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that has been providing educational materials for our older adult patients and their care givers.
We have a display in the hospital lobby featuring educational materials, posters, a home safety check list, and other home safety devices for the older adults at risk for a fall.
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