The Elderly and the Cost of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries
The Elderly and the Cost of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries
Traumatic spinal cord injuries are some of the most serious injuries a person can sustain. Not only can have they have long-lasting and severely debilitating effects on a person’s life, but they also are a drain on a person’s financial security, requiring huge amounts of money to treat and adjust to. Who bears the burden of these traumatic injuries? Increasingly, it is adults over the age of 65.
Slipping and Not Being Able to Get Up
The source of traumatic spinal injuries has changed in recent years. According to a John Hopkins Study, slip and fall accidents represent the highest source of traumatic spinal injuries at 41%, overtaking automobile accidents which had for decades been the number one cause. This may be attributed to a rapidly aging population.
Our Elders are Most at Risk for Traumatic Spinal Cord Injuries
Persons over the age of 65 are the most likely to be affected by a spinal cord injury, while the average age of a person suffering a traumatic spinal cord injury has increased from just age 29 in the 1970s to a much higher 42 in 2016. A rapidly-aging Baby Boomer population, improvements in medical care for the elderly, and the more active lifestyle being led by adults over the age of 65 mean that the elderly bear the brunt of spinal cord injuries. On top of that, adults over the age of 65 are also four times more likely to die in the emergency room than a younger adult and six times more likely to die during their inpatient stay in a hospital.
Surviving a slip and fall or automobile accident may come with a steep price tag. Lifetime costs of care for someone with a serious spinal cord injury can range from $1 million to $5 million. Total costs of care depend on the time that the person experienced injury, the severity of the injury and the level of care required. While improvements in rehabilitation care are leading to better and faster recovery among patients with spinal cord injuries, they are also adding to patients’ medical bills.
Do Not Let a Spinal Injury Be the End
Spinal cord injuries are devastating and can have a tremendous impact not only on an individual’s quality of life, but on his or her family as well. The pain, treatment, and care required can be long-lasting and intensive. If you have suffered a spinal cord injury from any type of accident, do not hesitate to call our attorneys at Cash Krugler & Fredericks in Atlanta, GA. We have worked hard with many clients to get the financial compensation they need to pay for their treatment and maintain a high quality of life. Contact us at (404) 659-1710 or visit us online.
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The Dangers of Brain and Spine Injuries in Children
When the Unimaginable Happens, Do You Know Who To Call?
