EVALUATION OF FORENSIC REPORTS FOR THE GERIATRIC CASES IN LINE WITH THE NEW TURKISH PENAL CODE

摘要

Introduction: One of the physiological periods of human life is the old age. At present, developments in medicine have brought about an increase in the geriatric population. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the demographic and clinical characteristics of trauma cases among elders and to discuss preventive measures in light of these characteristics. Materials and Method: Among 842 cases whose forensic reports were provided by our department between 1st of June 2005 and 31st December 2008, 52 (6,2 %) cases aged 65 years or over were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Of the 52 cases evaluated, 31 (59.6%) were male and 21 (40.4%) were female. The mean age was 69.8 ± 4.0 and the oldest case was 79 years old. In 42 cases, trauma had led to serious lesions which could not be resolved by simple medical interventions, in 32 cases to vital threat and in 40 cases to bone fractures. Conclusion: The most frequent causes of trauma in the geriatric age group were found to be traffic and other accidents. It was concluded that, instituting preventive measures for the elderly to facilitate living in all living spaces, especially in the traffic, would decrease the mortality and morbidity due to trauma in this age group.