Ever wondered what the leading cause of death for the elderly is? I used to think it was plain old age wherein the human body just stops functioning. I also thought it was cancer. But none of these two is the culprit for the death of the elderly majority.
According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons or AANS, the leading cause of death for those age 65 and above is to fall down. Here’s a list of deaths in the US due to falling in the year 2006.
- Floors or Flooring Materials: 260,983
- Stairs or Steps: 114,752
- Beds or Bedframes (other or not specified): 101,548
- Tables (not classified elsewhere): 70,452
- Ceilings and Walls (completed structure): 64,356
- Chairs (other or not specified): 50,482
- Cabinets, Racks, Room Dividers and Shelves: 40,014
- Bathtubs or Showers: 34,446
- Doors (not specified): 32,009
- Desks, Chests, Bureaus or Buffets: 26,110
- Sofas, Couches, Davenports, Divans: 25,227
- Ladders (all types): 17,251
- Toys (all toy categories combined): 14,924
- Rugs or Carpets (not specified): 14,867
- Porches, Balconies, Open-Sided Floors: 13,994
- Toilets: 11,246
- Bunk Beds: 10,778
- Counters or Countertops: 10,683
- Door Sills or Frames: 10,014
- Fences or Fence Posts: 9,383
Look at those numbers! This reminds me of how my grandmother - Carmen “Acacia” Montinola-Amechazurra. She died while trying to kill a cockroach crawling on the ceiling. She stood on top of a chair and fell. She didn’t take any medication and didn’t want to go to the doctor. Eventually, her memory started to fail until she could barely recognize her daughters - she then died.
Well, I guess I have to remember not to fall when I get old.
Source: LiveScience.com - http://www.livescience.com/mysteries/071017-llm-head-injury.html
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