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Senior Escalator Injuries Caused By Reckless Behavior?
By
Michael A. Piekarz
Staff Writer
Researchers
probing a sharp rise in the number of escalator-related injuries
to seniors were surprised to learn that one of the main reasons for
the increase may be found in an unsafe behavior of the seniors themselves.
According to the first large-scale national study of escalator-related injuries
to older adults, researchers led by Joseph O’Neil, M.D., MPH, and Greg
Steele, Ph.D., MPH, of the Indiana University School of Medicine, reported that
the rate of these injuries has doubled over the period 1991 to 2005.
The results of the study are published in the March 2008 issue of the journal, “Accident
Analysis and Prevention.”
Using U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission data, researchers found that nearly
40,000 older adults were injured on escalators between 1991 and 2005.
The most frequent cause of injury was a slip, trip or fall resulting in a bruise
or contusion. The most common injuries were to the lower extremities. However,
most injuries were not serious. Only 8 percent of the 39,800 injured were admitted
to the hospital after evaluation in an emergency department.
Older adults who have difficulty walking or maintaining balance should use elevators
rather than escalators, the study authors cautioned. In addition, seniors riding
escalators should use extra care when stepping on or off the moving steps.
“Although escalators are a safe form of transportation, fall-related injuries
do occur. Older adults, especially those with mobility, balance or vision problems,
should use caution while riding an escalator and especially when stepping on
or off. They should not try to walk up or down a moving escalator, carry large
objects, or wear loose shoes or clothing while riding since these appear to be
associated with an increased risk of falling,” said Dr. O’Neil, associate
professor of clinical pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine.
One surprise to researchers was that reckless behavior of the sort usually attributed
to teenagers played a part in the increase.
“What really surprised us was the reckless behavior exhibited by some older
adults on escalators,” said Dr. Steele, associate professor of epidemiology
in the IU School of Medicine’s Department of Public Health.
“One emergency department reported a fall by an escalator rider who attempted
to squeeze past an individual in a wheelchair and the individual’s attendant
who were also on the escalator. Obviously, the wheelchair should not have been
on the moving stairs. And, of course, the injured individual should not have
attempted to beat them down the stairs.”
Unlike many studies of accidents involving older adults, the escalator study
involved specialists in children’s medicine. According to the researchers,
the lack of geriatric specialization doesn’t negate the study’s validity.
“People may wonder why a pediatrician is studying older adults, but it’s
not really a stretch. Older adults have many of the same mobility and balance
issues as young children,” said Dr. O’Neil, a developmental pediatrician
at Riley Hospital for Children.
O’Neill is also an expert on injury prevention who says that injury should
be considered as much a medical illness as heart disease, stroke or diabetes.
“We have to stop thinking of unexpected injuries as accidents, which implies
that they are unpreventable. Escalator injuries, like auto crashes and many other
so-called accidents, can be prevented,” he said.
This page and its contents ©2008
Metropolitan News Company, Inc.
