Citation

Chehade M, Gill TK, Visvanathan R. Open Orthop. J. 2015; 9: 361-366.

Affiliation

Aged and Extended Care Services, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Central Adelaide Local Health Network, SA, 5011, Australia ; 4Adelaide Geriatrics Training and Research with Aged Care (G-TRAC) Centre, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Bentham Science Publishers)

DOI

10.2174/1874325001509010361

PMID

26312120

PMCID

PMC4541454

Abstract

The global population is increasing rapidly with older persons accounting for the greatest proportion. Associated with this rise is an increased rate of injury, including polytrauma, for which low energy falls has become the main cause. The resultant growing impact on trauma resources represents a major burden to the health system. Frailty, with its related issues of cognitive dysfunction and sarcopenia, is emerging as the unifying concept that relates both to the initial event and subsequent outcomes. Strategies to better assess and manage frailty are key to both preventing injury and improving trauma outcomes in the older population and research that links measures of frailty to trauma outcomes will be critical to informing future directions and health policy. The introduction of "Geriatric Emergency Departments" and the development of "Fracture Units" for frail older people will facilitate increased involvement of Geriatricians in trauma care and aid in the education of other health disciplines in the core principles of geriatric assessment and management. Collectively these should lead to improved care and outcomes for both survivors and those requiring end of life decisions and palliation.

Language: en