Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Persons found in their homes helpless or dead

R J Gurley1, N Lum, M Sande

  • 1Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, University of California, San Francisco 94102, USA.

The New England Journal of Medicine
|June 27, 1996
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Disease course and treatment outcomes of Crohn's disease patients with early or late surgery - A Danish nationwide cohort study from 1997 to 2015.

Digestive and liver disease : official journal of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology and the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver·2022
Same author

Comprehensive comparison between 222 CTLA-4 haploinsufficiency and 212 LRBA deficiency patients: a systematic review.

Clinical and experimental immunology·2021
Same author

HIV testing and ART initiation in people who inject drugs and are placed on methadone in Kachin State, Myanmar.

Public health action·2020
Same author

Inter-laboratory proficiency testing scheme for tumour next-generation sequencing in Ontario: a pilot study.

Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.)·2020
Same author

OCTANE (Ontario-wide Cancer Targeted Nucleic Acid Evaluation): a platform for intraprovincial, national, and international clinical data-sharing.

Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.)·2019
Same author

Cell-surface markers identify tissue resident multipotential stem/stromal cell subsets in synovial intimal and sub-intimal compartments with distinct chondrogenic properties.

Osteoarthritis and cartilage·2019

Elderly individuals living alone are at high risk of becoming incapacitated and requiring emergency services. This study highlights the significant mortality and loss of independence associated with such events, especially when help is delayed.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Public Health
  • Emergency Medicine

Background:

  • Emergency services frequently encounter individuals found alone, incapacitated or deceased in their homes.
  • Risk factors, mortality rates, and incidence of these events remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the characteristics, outcomes, and incidence of individuals found alone and incapacitated or deceased in their homes.
  • To identify populations at risk and understand the mortality associated with these incidents.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based study was conducted over 12 weeks in San Francisco.
  • Paramedics identified 367 individuals found alone and incapacitated or deceased.
  • Data were collected from emergency medical services and hospitals to determine patient outcomes.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • The median age was 73 years, with a higher incidence in older age groups, particularly men 85+ living alone (123/1000/year).
  • Overall mortality was 28%, with 67% mortality for those helpless >72 hours vs. 12% for <1 hour.
  • 62% of survivors could not return to independent living, with 52% of hospitalized patients requiring intensive care.

Conclusions:

  • Incapacitation events for elderly individuals living alone are common and often lead to a loss of independence.
  • Prompt medical attention is crucial, as prolonged helplessness significantly increases mortality risk.
  • These findings underscore the need for targeted support systems for vulnerable elderly populations living alone.