EVALUATION OF ELDERLY CASES WITH NON-FATAL TRAUMATIC INJURIES

Introduction: As the global population ages, there has been a concomitant increase in the number of geriatric forensic trauma cases.This study aims to determine the causes of trauma, sociodemographic and injury characteristics of elderlyforensic cases with non-fatal traumatic injuries. Materials and Method: In the study, 201 geriatric cases were examinedretrospectively. The cases were reviewed in terms of variables such as gender, age group, incident origin, cause of the incident, medical diagnosis, body part injured, type of fractured bone (if any), whether they were treated as inpatients, length of hospital stay (if any), severity of injury, and injury severity score. Results: Out of the patients,73.1% (n=147) of the cases were male and 26.9% (n=54) were female. The cases were most frequently in the 65-74 age group with a rate of 77.6% (n=156). It was determined that 55.7% of the cases were traumatized by intentional incidents. Battery was the most common with 105 cases (52.2%). Bone fractures (p<.001, Cramer’s V: .452) and hospitalizations (p<.001, Cramer’s V: .444) were more common in accidental injuries. Additionally, the injury severity score was higher for accidental injuries (d: 0.63, t(91.5) = -4.3, p<0.001). Conclusion: Morbidity and mortality rates can be reduced by implementing measures to make social living spaces safer and more suitable for the geriatric population. This includes optimizing ergonomic conditions in the home and providing essential training for all individuals on how to assist the elderly in traffic, such as being cautious and allowing elderly pedestrians to cross the road safely. Keywords: Geriatrics; Wounds and Injuries; Forensic Medicine; Accidents.