In accordance to a new Yale study, older individuals admitted to the emergency room (ER) have a higher risk for disabilities.
A Yale University research published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine claims that most adults over the age of 65 who are sent to the ER are more likely to face disability and decline in physical abilities after the first 6 months of their hospitalization.
For their research, the Yale team analyzed the data collected on over 700 older adults over the last fourteen years. Researchers compared older individuals who had returned home from the emergency room, and older adults that hadn’t been to the ER at all (the control group).
The study discovered that the group discharged from the hospital had higher disability scores in contrast to those who had not been to the hospital.
“We know that if older adults go to the hospital and are admitted, they are at increased risk for disabilities and functional decline. This study indicates that sufferers discharged from the ED, meaning that they were deemed well enough to return home, are also at threat for functional decline. We should be doing something to deal that.” – Justine M. Nagurney, M.D., Yale New Haven Hospital
Yale researchers claim the group discharged from the ER was also more likely to be living in a nursing home, and to die within 6 months of being admitted to the hospital.
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