School of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada; Research Centre on Aging, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l'Estrie-Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
Research Centre on Aging, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de l'Estrie-Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
J Safety Res. 2019 Jun;69:69-73. doi: 10.1016/j.jsr.2019.02.003. Epub 2019 Feb 25.
Bathing is the most problematic activity of daily living for aging adults, and the ability to perform it is influenced by physical capabilities that decrease with age. Drowning is an under-documented event related to bathing for older adults. This study investigates the circumstances of these tragedies, to prevent them.
Census of 2005-2014 bathtub drownings in the province of Quebec (Canada) involving victims aged 65+. Coroner's reports were analyzed using a grid based on factors previously associated with bath-related drownings in literature, iteratively modified.
Among the 92 bathtub drowning victims inventoried, 42% were aged 65+. The average age of older victims is 79 (65-97, ±9 years). Main probable cause of drowning is a cardiac problem, although only 19% of victims had a medical history of heart disease. Most victims were alone in their apartment or residence when drowning occurred. Risky periods appear to be springtime, Sundays, and evenings. Despite expectations, relevant information about the physical environment is very scarce.
At least 39 Quebecers, aged 65+, drowned in their bathtubs over a 10-year period. More older adults than children are victims of bathtub drownings in community-dwellings. It seems that bathing may induce heart distress, leading to an appreciable number of drownings.
Since cardiac health problems are present in these deplorable events, promoting access to safety devices in the environment (emergency button, grab bars) and modified personal hygiene habits (bathing chair, showering) might be potential ways to prevent drowning and improve safety in older adults while they perform their personal hygiene, an essential activity for health and human dignity.
洗澡对于老年人来说是最具挑战性的日常生活活动之一，而洗澡的能力则受到随着年龄增长而下降的身体能力的影响。溺水是与老年人洗澡相关的一个记录较少的事件。本研究旨在调查这些悲剧的情况，以防止此类事件再次发生。
对 2005 年至 2014 年期间魁北克省（加拿大）发生的涉及 65 岁以上受害者的浴缸溺水事件进行普查。根据文献中与浴盆相关溺水事件相关的因素，使用基于网格的方法对验尸报告进行分析，并进行迭代修改。
在所调查的 92 名浴缸溺水受害者中，42%的受害者年龄在 65 岁以上。年龄较大的受害者的平均年龄为 79 岁（65-97 岁，±9 岁）。溺水的主要可能原因是心脏问题，尽管只有 19%的受害者有心脏病病史。大多数受害者在溺水时独自在自己的公寓或住所。风险期似乎是春季、星期日和晚上。尽管有预期，但关于物理环境的相关信息非常有限。
在过去 10 年中，至少有 39 名魁北克 65 岁以上的老年人在浴缸中溺水身亡。在社区居住的人群中，溺水的受害者中老年人比儿童多。似乎洗澡会引起心脏不适，导致相当数量的溺水事件发生。
由于心脏健康问题在这些不幸事件中存在，因此，在环境中推广安全设备（紧急按钮、抓握杆）和改进个人卫生习惯（洗澡椅、淋浴）可能是防止溺水和提高老年人安全的潜在方法，因为洗澡是一项对健康和人类尊严至关重要的活动。
