Having your vision checked regularly and using glasses or contact lenses that correct for changes.Using a walker or other assistive device to compensate for mobility problems, muscle weakness or poor balance.Measures to reduce the risk of falls include: Older adults who experienced loss of consciousness after a TBI were 28% more likely to report subjective memory impairment than seniors who did not experience a TBI. When a person over 65 years old sustains a serious TBI in a fall, direct effects of the injury may result in long-term cognitive changes, reduced ability to function and changes in emotional health. Men are twice as likely to be hospitalized as women. Those ages 75 and older are three times as likely as those between 65 and 74 to be hospitalized from a fall. Between 20, the number of deaths among older Americans rose 62%, to 29,668.

The number of deaths from falls is rising. Falls lead to 3 million emergency department visits per year. According to the CDC, approximately 1 in 4 Americans ages 65 and over reports falling each year. However, it is important to note that not all blows or jolts to the head result in a TBI.įalls are the most common cause of TBI, and falling poses an especially serious risk for older adults. In addition, TBI can result from bullet wounds or other injuries that penetrate the skull and brain. Indirect forces that shake the brain violently within the skull, such as shock waves from battlefield explosions, can also cause TBI. The leading causes of TBI that result in emergency department visits are falls, being struck by an object and motor vehicle crashes.

Certain types of TBI may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's or another type of dementia years after the injury takes place.

A traumatic brain injury's direct effects - which may be long-lasting or even permanent - can include unconsciousness, inability to recall the traumatic event, depression, confusion, difficulty learning and remembering new information, trouble speaking coherently, unsteadiness, lack of coordination and problems with vision or hearing.

TBI resulting from an impact to the head disrupts normal brain function and is a threat to cognitive health in two ways: These secondary brain injuries are the result of reactive processes that occur after the initial head trauma. Other outcomes of TBI can be secondary - they can occur gradually over hours or days, or appear weeks later.

Some of these injuries are considered primary - damage and symptoms are immediate. Although most TBIs are classified as mild because they're not life-threatening, a mild TBI can have serious and long-lasting effects the extent of these effects is not fully understood and requires more research. Doctors may classify traumatic brain injury as mild, moderate or severe, depending on whether the injury causes unconsciousness, how long unconsciousness lasts and the severity of the individual's symptoms. Most TBIs are caused by falls, being struck by an object or by vehicle crashes.

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