Injury patterns and demographics in older adult abuse and falls: A comparative study in emergency department settings

Abstract

Background: Falls and interpersonal violence pose significant threats to older adults, leading to injuries, hospitalizations, and emergency department (ED) visits. This study investigates the demographics and injury patterns in older adults (aged 60 and above) who sought ED care due to assaults, comparing them with those who experienced falls to gain a deeper understanding of older adult abuse patterns.

Method: This study utilizes data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) All Injury Program (2005-2019) to examine injuries among older adults aged 60 years and above. Participants were categorized into two groups: older adult abuse and injuries due to falls. The differences between the groups by demographics, injury locations, patterns, and temporal trends were analyzed using statistical methods accounting for the weighted stratified nature of the data. Cosinor analysis and Joinpoint regression were used for temporal analysis.

Results: Over 15 years, there were an estimated 307,237 ED visits for older adult abuse and 39,477,217 for falls. Older adults experiencing abuse were younger and had lower hospital admission rates compared to fall patients. Injuries associated with abuse included contusions/abrasions, penetrating injuries, and fractures to the head/neck, fingers, toes, ribs, and lower extremities. In contrast, fall patients had higher admission rates, with more fractures, including cervical spine and hip fractures. Temporal patterns showed a higher rate of assaults during the summer, whereas abuse demonstrated bimodal peaks in the summer and fall.

Conclusions: Injuries associated with abuse such as facial, upper trunk, and upper extremity fractures should raise suspicion even in the absence of severe symptoms. These findings emphasize the importance of early identification to connect older adults with support resources, as patients experiencing abuse often get discharged from the ED.

Keywords: abuse; assault; falls; interpersonal violence; older adult abuse.

Figure 1:

Differences in demographics of the patient population, showing an overall younger population for the abuse group and a higher proportion of White individuals in both groups. Injury pattern characteristics are also included, with a higher incidence of contusions in cases of abuse and fractures in the fall group. The head and neck region represents the most commonly affected anatomical region of injury across both groups.

Figure 2:

Exploring trends in fracture location between groups, demonstrating the highest rates of face fractures in the abuse group, while the highest percentage of the fall group had lower extremity fractures.