What Are the Characteristics of Traumatic Brain Injury in Older Adults?

Abstract

AbstractThe Australian community is ageing; over the next 40 years, our population over the age of 65 years will double to around 23%, and this considerable increase in older adults means an increasing number of people will be at risk of sustaining trauma through falls or road traffic accidents. In contrast to the increasingly well-documented outcome literature on younger adults, very few studies have focused on older adults. Instead of assuming that outcomes posttraumatic brain injury (post-TBI) will follow similar patterns as in younger samples, there are several reasons to investigate older age recovery separately, and these issues will be discussed by reviewing some of the primary characteristics of older adults who experience traumatic brain injury.