There are a variety of challenges that the elderly population faces when it comes to their health. One challenge that often isn’t discussed is how head injuries can affect the person’s cognition that may lead to dementia. Even a minor head injury can lead to declines in cognition that an elderly person won’t be able to overcome or compensate for.

On behalf of Joseph Caprara of CBLAW posted in Brain Injuries on Thursday, October 15, 2015.

There are a variety of challenges that the elderly population faces when it comes to their health. One challenge that often isn’t discussed is how head injuries can affect the person’s cognition. Even a minor head injury can lead to declines in cognition that an elderly person won’t be able to overcome or compensate for.

In elderly people who have been diagnosed with dementia, a head injury can make the symptoms worse than they were prior to the injury. In elderly people who haven’t been diagnosed with dementia, a head injury can lead to symptoms that result in a diagnosis of dementia.

Interestingly, dementia after a head injury is a more significant problem than most people realize even in younger people. In fact, a head injury ranks third on a list of the causes of dementia in patients who haven’t yet turned 50 years. The two causes that are more common than head injuries are infections and alcoholism.

When it comes to the elderly population, head injuries are more likely to cause symptoms that are classified as minor compared to the severe complications that younger people face. The specific effects of a brain injury depend on the location in the brain where the injury occurred, what functions of the brain that were affected and how severe the injury’s effects were.

People who are suffering from dementia after a brain injury are likely to need long-term care. This can often cause adverse financial impacts on the patient and their family. Seeking compensation for the injury that occurred might help to cover some of the financial aspects of the injury.

Source: eMedicineHealth, “Dementia in Head Injury,” accessed Oct. 15, 2015