A new study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital reveals that older adults who experience a serious fall are more likely to develop dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, within the following year.
This research suggests that falls might be an early warning sign of cognitive decline and could help identify people who need early dementia screening.
Published in JAMA Network Open, the study analyzed data from over 2.4 million older adults who experienced traumatic injuries between 2014 and 2015.
Half of these injuries were due to falls. The researchers found that people who fell were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with dementia within a year of their injury.
Dr. Alexander Ordoobadi, one of the lead authors, explained, “Falls are one of the most common reasons older adults are admitted to trauma centers.
We treat the injuries, but we often miss the underlying issues, such as cognitive decline, that may have caused the fall in the first place.”
Each year, around 14 million older adults in the U.S. report falls, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Falls are also the leading cause of injury for seniors, resulting in long-term consequences like loss of independence or even death. Additionally, falls cost over $50 billion in health care expenses annually.
The link between falls and dementia seems to go both ways. Cognitive decline can increase the risk of falling, and trauma from a fall may speed up the progression of dementia.
Senior author Dr. Molly Jarman noted, “Falls could be early indicators of dementia, helping us identify people who need cognitive screening.”
The researchers recommend that older adults who experience a fall should undergo cognitive assessments soon after their injury.
Early screening could help detect dementia sooner and provide better care for those at risk.
However, this can be challenging, as many older adults don’t have access to primary care or specialists like geriatricians who can monitor their cognitive health after a fall.
Dr. Ordoobadi emphasized the importance of follow-up care, saying, “Ideally, older adults should have regular checkups with a primary care doctor or geriatrician after an injury to monitor their cognitive health.
But many older adults lack access to these services.”
The study highlights the need for more clinicians trained to care for older adults, particularly in performing cognitive assessments after injuries. By recognizing falls as a possible early sign of dementia, health care providers may be able to intervene earlier and improve the long-term care of older adults.
If you care about dementia, please read studies that eating apples and tea could keep dementia at bay, and Olive oil: a daily dose for better brain health.
For more health information, please see recent studies what you eat together may affect your dementia risk, and time-restricted eating: a simple way to fight aging and cancer.
Source: Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
