By U. Kelley Riedel, Attorney at law
CALIFORNIA - The American Burn Association has revealed that elderly adults, those 65 years of age or older, are two to four times more likely to die from a burn injury than the average American. More than 1,200 elderly Americans die from these injuries every year, and the American Burn Association anticipates that proportion to rise as the nation’s elderly population increases.
Older people are more susceptible to such injuries because they experience physical and cognitive changes as a natural result of aging, which commonly affect their ability to see, hear, and feel fire dangers. Further, where an elderly person suffers from decreased mobility, they may be unable to escape fire should on break out. Statistically, the most common causes of these burn injury deaths include cooking, careless smoking, scalding incidents, faulty electricity, and chemical burns. Further, not only do these injuries occur in private homes, but they can also take place in nursing homes if proper protocols are not being created or implemented.
In order to protect the almost 13% of the American population that are classified as “elderly adults”, it is important that their loved ones ensure that they are provided assistance with daily living, that they receive education concerning fire dangers, and they the live in a fire-safe environment. The risk of fire injury death must be assessed based upon each individual elderly person’s circumstances, and should not be taken lightly.
Care facilities housing elderly Americans have a duty to ensure that they afford their residents as much protection as possible from fire dangers. All care plans should include an assessment of fire safety and burn prevention, and employees, patients, and their families must be aware that this risk exists, of the common causes, and what can be done to prevent fire and burn injuries.
However, even more alarmingly, elderly persons that live independently are 30% more likely to suffer an unintended injury such as a fire or burn injury. It is only through education and prevention methods that the risk of such types of injuries can be reduced.
U. Kelley Riedel is a partner at Berman & Riedel, LLP, a serious personal injury firm respected for its success in litigating elder abuse and neglect cases.