Traumatic head injury in older adults and seniors carries significantly more risk of adverse effects, and even death, than it does in younger adults for several reasons. Although falls are the primary cause of head injury in seniors and older adults, motor vehicle accidents are the second most frequent cause and can be up to seven times more likely to be fatal, depending on the severity of the impact and the details of the person's overall health, according to PubMed Central.

Studies show that seniors and older adults are more likely to be injured by seat belts, airbags, and other devices than by the steering wheel, although the opposite is true for younger adults. Seniors and older adults suffer more injury from side-impact crashes than do younger adults, and are especially vulnerable to chest and head injuries from these types of crashes.

 Factors Influencing Severity

Several factors are key to the increased vulnerability, and they include:

• Delayed diagnosis:
  
  Severe head injury may be misdiagnosed – it's often called a concussion – because it mimics the symptoms of many age-related conditions such as dementia, physiological frailty, arthritis, and osteoporosis. Stiffness and limited mobility may be attributed to age-related conditions rather than properly diagnosed as a result of the impact.
  
  If the senior is living or traveling alone, they may not receive prompt assessment and treatment because they're unable to summon help. This is especially true if they have fallen and cannot reach a phone or a loved one or friend who can help. Sometimes, delayed treatment can significantly worsen the outcome of a fall or impact. Many families and friends insist that their loved ones who live alone wear an emergency contact pendant so that help is always available. Even if you have an emergency contact pendant, having the contact information for a skilled personal injury lawyer like those at Barrera Law Group LLC is a prudent precaution, especially for anyone who has been involved in a vehicle collision.
• Medications:
  
  Some types of medications taken for blood pressure are also blood thinners and can contribute to subdural hematomas and other types of bleeding. Blood thinners have been correlated with a condition known as DASH, which stands for delayed posttraumatic acute subdural hematoma, and appears between 9 and 72 hours after the event. DASH has presented almost exclusively in anticoagulated, elderly individuals, even when they appeared fine in the emergency room, and their scans indicated no abnormalities. This means they can experience a severe or fatal response to the accident or injury even when they previously had no indications or symptoms of damage.
• General frailty:
  
  Since bone density declines with age, as does muscle mass and elasticity, skull fractures can occur at much lower speeds than in younger people. Depending on the expertise of the attending medical personnel, this may or may not be factored into the diagnostics. When a skull fractures, the protective cushioning for the brain is compromised, so the likelihood of damage increases. Slower reflexes and diminished muscle mass in older adults mean they have less time and ability to protect themselves or brace for impact, so they'll likely suffer increased damage.
• Brain atrophy:
  
  Brain atrophy is the primary factor that influences every other cause. Brains shrink as they age. As the brain recedes from the skull, the connecting veins stretch and become tighter and thinner. This makes them more susceptible to damage from even mild impact, which can lead to subdural hematomas. A subdural hematoma is bleeding between the brain and the skull. The risk of bleeding in seniors and older adults is more than twice what it is for younger adults, even after mild trauma. According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than 28 percent of those who have lost consciousness due to a brain injury also had subjective memory loss afterward.
•  Complicating Factors:
  
  Chronic, preexisting conditions and polypharmacy can impair a senior or older person's ability to think cogently and can cause dizziness or confusion, thereby complicating their recovery and sometimes making it difficult to diagnose their condition. It can also lead to poorer outcomes and impaired recovery. The older the individual, the more difficult it may be to diagnose the issue accurately.
  
  Research has correlated a link between head trauma and developing Alzheimer's or the acceleration of it in those who may have been in the early stages of the disease. A study reported in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that severe head trauma before the age of 65, when it involved the complete loss of consciousness, hastened the onset of Alzheimer's and was a significant predictor of the disease.

 If You've Suffered Head Trauma

If you've suffered a head injury, you should probably receive medical attention as soon as possible. Medical personnel are trained to spot anomalies that laypeople can miss, and some conditions, such as DASH, may appear hours after the event. Depending on the circumstances, you may also want to consult a personal injury lawyer so you know the laws of your state, your options, and any actions you should take. If there was a police report, be sure to take it with you to the attorney's office.

Everyone is different. You may have no damage at all from an impact while another person has substantial damage from a similar impact. Don't try to mold yourself into what someone else thinks you should feel, especially if they're considerably younger.

Address your body's response in the manner that's best for your body and get help when you need it.