Assessment of the Trends of Accidents among Elderly People in Isfahan Province, Iran, in 2012-2015 by Cause and Location of the Accidents

Background: Accidents are one of the most important health-threatening factors among different age groups in the society, especially in older people. Due to the growth of older people population and increasing their participation in social activities, studying the trends of accidents in older people can be useful in identifying research priorities and specific interventions. Methods: This research with a cross-sectional descriptive approach has been done on 27332 injured elderly who referred to hospitals of Isfahan Province, Iran, between 2012 and 2015. Data were retrieved from elderly accidents registration software, then were analyzed in SPSS software using descriptive statistics. Findings: Most and least accidents in men and women have been occurred, respectively, in the age group of 60 to 64 years and 85 years and older. 65.34% of the accidents have been happened among elderly men and 34.65% in elderly women. Totally, streets and alleys (39.62%) and sports and recreation centers (0.48%) were the most and least scenes of the accidents. The highest and the lowest rates of the accidents occurrence (27.39% and 23.58%) have been reported in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Moreover, the top cause of accidents in women (29.87%) and in men (25.82%) was crash and the least cause in both genders (0.01%) was drowning. Conclusion: Older people need special attention in accidents due to their physical conditions, comorbidities, and exacerbation of complications. Regarding the growing trend of population aging, it is recommended to provide dedicated services and notification to prevent accidents incidence in the elderly.