Falls are Dangerous for Seniors: Nancy Pelosi and Pope Francis
Just a reminder for our older-than-Boomers folks who need to be careful
I wanted to wait a bit to make sure Nancy Pelosi was okay, but after the Pope had two falls in quick succession, I wanted to remind everybody, especially in this slippery season: FALLS ARE DANGEROUS FOR SENIORS.
14 Dec 2024, ABC News: Nancy Pelosi undergoes hip replacement surgery after fall in Luxembourg
Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi, 84, underwent a successful hip replacement surgery after falling while in Luxembourg with a congressional delegation, her office said Saturday.
"Earlier this morning, Speaker Emerita Pelosi underwent a successful hip replacement and is well on the mend," her spokesman Ian Krager said in a statement. "Speaker Pelosi is grateful to U.S. military staff at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center at Landstuhl Army Base and medical staff at Hospital Kirchberg in Luxembourg for their excellent care and kindness."
16 Jan 2025, CNN: Pope Francis injures arm after falling at the Vatican
Pope Francis has fallen over and injured his right arm but did not suffer any broken bones, the Vatican says.
In a statement, the Holy See press office said that due to a fall Thursday morning in the Casa Santa Marta, the pope’s residence, the 88-year-old pontiff “suffered a contusion to his right forearm, without fracture.”
The statement added that his arm has been “immobilized as a precautionary measure.”
….
The pope has suffered a number of health problems in recent years and this is the second fall he has had in a matter of weeks. In early December, he appeared with a large bruise on his chin after falling and hitting his bedside table during the night.
Since 2022, the pope has made use of a wheelchair due to mobility problems caused by pain in his knee. In his recently published autobiography “Hope”, Francis said that he is in good health and ruled out resigning from his position, but said that “the reality is, quite simply, that I am old.”
Falls are a Top Accidental Cause of Death for the Elderly
Let me start at the percentage breakout of accidental causes of death by age group:
In many prior posts, I focused on drug overdoses, but for those over the age of 75, falls are the pre-eminent cause of accidental death. Over age 85, it’s about 80% of the accidental deaths in the U.S.
You may be wondering, how many deaths are those really?
Here are the counts:
When looking by count of deaths, falls may look less serious than drug overdoses.
But, you need to consider the size of the population at risk — let us look at the rate.
To be sure, drug overdose death rates are pretty bad, as those who are younger shouldn’t be dying of much. But those fall death rates are also very bad, especially as these are showing an increasing trend.
I haven’t refreshed this graphic yet, but these rates have continued to increase for the over age 75 group.
Spreadsheet
Preventing Falls
I hadn’t shared these pictures yet, but I took these in the last months of Stu’s life as I took him to MSK’s cancer center. While I was there, I noticed specific warnings about preventing falls.
Some of this was due to many of the cancer patients being elderly, but also, like Stuart, many patients had advanced cancer where the cancer had gotten into the bones. The treatment in these cases makes the bones more fragile, but there is also the concern that if there is a fall and bone fracture, this may allow the cancer to spread. Due to this concern, since Stu’s diagnosis in 2017, we moved his “bedroom” to the downstairs family room so he would not go up and down stairs so much.
These were the posters:
I will point out that one of my posts below is about Ivana Trump, and it was probably her shoes that caused her to fall on the stairs in her home.
The MSK building isn’t that large …. for somebody healthy.
For the last few months of Stu’s life, I always got him a wheelchair, and when I had valet service for him at MSK, they often pulled up the wheelchair for us. They recognized my van. We were there 5-6 days of the week towards the end. Given the condition of some of the patients, it would be better if more of the patients got a wheelchair.
Many people do not understand how fragile they get as they age. It’s a harsh realization for many because unfortunately, it is a close encounter with one’s mortality.
I remember my Grandma Campbell breaking her arm in the classroom from tripping over a student’s desk - that was her signal that she needed to retire.
I’m not saying the Pope needs to retire, but he should look into his footwear, at the very least.
Prior Related Posts
April 2024: Revisiting Death by Falls: Characteristics
March 2024: RIP Joe Lieberman -- A Reminder that Falls are Dangerous to Seniors
July 2022: The Death of Ivana Trump: Falls are Dangerous for Seniors