As more doctors and nurses leave the profession, providers are turning to AI technology to help bridge the coverage gap, especially among older Americans. Getting injured after a fall may be an early warning sign of dementia in older adults . That’s according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open last month.
"This study quantifies a diagnostic pattern that geriatricians and primary care providers have recognized for quite some time – falls often precede a dementia diagnosis and older adults who experience a fall should undergo cognitive screening," co-author Molly P. Jarman, PhD., deputy director of the Center for Surgery and Public Health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and assistant professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, told Fox News Digital.
PREVENT DANGEROUS FALLS AMONG OLDER ADULTS BY TAKING KEY STEPS The Boston researchers analyzed U.S. Medicare claims data for more than two million adults age 66 and older who were diagnosed with a traumatic injury that resulted in an emergency department visit or hospital admission from 2014 to 2015.
Half of the injuries were the result of falls. Getting injured after a fall may be an early warning sign of dementia in older adults, according to a new study. (iStock) The researchers also reviewed follow-up data for at least one year after the injury, tracking how often the participants were diagnosed with dementia.
Falls are the leading cause of injury for adults 65 years and older. Among the patients who experie.