Study into nursing home deaths
There must be balance between protecting residential aged care residents from harm and their quality of life, reveals a new study.
Professor Joseph Ibrahim, from Monash University.
Described as the ‘first of its kind’, the comprehensive study delves into injury related or premature deaths of residents in nursing homes. Figures show more than 80% of deaths are from falls.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, finds that between 2000 and 2012, there were 1,296 deaths in Victoria, and 89% of those were from falls.
Led by Professor Joseph Ibrahim, from Monash University and the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, findings reveal 7% of deaths are from choking, 1.3% are from suicides, 0.6% from complications in clinical care, and 0.5% were by resident-resident assault.
“There needs to be a debate over whether residents may choose activities that enhance their quality of life but increase the potential of harm or death, particularly from falls or choking,” Professor Ibrahim says.
He claims, in Australia, there are more than 186,000 residents living in about 2,700 nursing homes.
“While the very reason for older people being in these facilities, such as physical frailty and the presence of dementia, means they are at greater risk of death from external causes (injury), there has been, until now, no information about deaths in nursing homes that may be premature or preventable,” he says.
Professor Ibrahim says the greater incidence of falls related deaths in the nursing home population compared to the general community is likely due to the increased frailty of the residents, as well as increased requirements – brought in by the Coroner’s office in 2007 – to report deaths from falls.
“Choking was found to be more common in young males, largely because these residents often have an acquired brain injury, which has a higher rate of swallowing disorders and risk of choking. Suicide was also more common in males, however at a lower rate than in the general community.”
Professor Ibrahim adds an ageing population means improved care of older citizens is a priority.
“Globally, there are 841 million people aged 60 and over and this will increase to two billion by 2050,” he claims.
