Mature Market Experts

There’s a lady who’s sure
All that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven

When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for

Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven…

-Led Zeppelin

Joan was out shopping on a sunny Saturday afternoon; something she had looked forward to with anticipation and a sense of earned downtime from a busy work week. Blending pleasure shopping with errands, she was fully involved in the joy of having a day off to do what she pleased.

She didn’t hear her cell phone go off the first two times–it was only on the third cycle of rings that her attention was diverted to a message that would take her abruptly in a different direction:

“Honey” she heard in a faint and pathetic tone, “I’ve fallen off the ladder and I’m bleeding…you need to get home now.”

You Can do it and We Can Help

Home improvement in the United States has gained unprecedented popularity over the past two decades as TV and radio programs provide irresistible do-it-yourself instruction on an endless array of domestic challenges; but there may be a downside. According to a recent study, the number of nonfatal ladder injuries treated in emergency rooms jumped by 50% between 1990 and 2005.

The causes for the increase are unclear, but the findings suggest that there needs to be more education about ladder safety, said study co-author Lara Trifiletti, Ph.D., a researcher with the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Columbus Children’s Hospital in Ohio. According to Trifiletti, 97% of nonoccupational ladder-related injuries occurred in settings like homes and farms. “Maybe a lot of people are doing do-it-yourself home repairs,” Trifiletti said. “That may be one explanation why we see such a high rate in homes.”

Trifiletti and colleagues examined federal statistics on nonfatal ladder injuries that sent people to emergency rooms and found that 2,177,888 people suffered ladder injuries in that same period from 1990 to 2005, and their ages ranged from as young as one month to as old as 101 years (three-quarters of the injured were male). An average of 135,000 people sustained ladder injuries each year. “It’s a little bit alarming that the numbers are so high and that they’ve increased over time,” Trifiletti said. “We need to really think about some prevention strategies and interventions that would reduce these numbers.”

Further, findings from another study reported in the Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection and Critical Care, concluded that the high risk group for nonoccupational ladder injuries is men over 45. They are most likely to suffer upper limb injuries and admission to hospital is not uncommon.

Both studies conclude that rates on injury might be significantly decreased if a simple algorithm of precautions were followed and there was a greater awareness of ladder safety.

911 Husband Down

Joan, an experienced nurse, called neighbors to check on her husband as she drove in a panic to the house. Upon arrival she found her husband Dan dazed, pain in his shoulder, bleeding from his head, and surrounded by half-circle of onlooking neighbors–all puzzled at what to do next. In the back yard lay the smoking gun, a ladder resting on its side under the eve of the roof; half on the cement patio, half on the damp fall grass.

After an initial episode of stubborn-refusal to go to the ER, 911 was dialed and Dan was soon on his way to a nearby trauma center for evaluation.

Seems Dan had placed the front legs of the ladder on the cement patio and the back legs on the damp grass–positioning to view the gutters. Upon assent the back legs sunk into the moist earth like a fork into chilled cheesecake. The ladder went one way and Dan the other.

He suffered a Subdural hematoma, dislocated shoulder, and a harsh reminder of his own mortality–which at age 62, is fortunate in that it could have been much more tragic.

It’s Kind of a Guy Thing

Climbing ladders at any age is risky but the odds for accident and injury are greater for those over 45. Ladder accidents are a real threat to aging in place, and with the fall and winter season upon us emergency room visits from older guys cleaning leaves from gutters and hanging LED Christmas lights will increase with the drop in temperature.

Injuries due to ladder accidents can be considered “secondary agers” in that they can speed-up the aging process by limiting long-term mobility or causing head trauma which can manifest as dementia down the road; both leading to premature institutionalization or death (the stairway to heaven).

The Lesson

Never use a ladder by yourself.

See:

The American Ladder Institute

Video: aging in place / falling off a ladder

Video: Man takes a nasty fall from ladder

OHSA Ladder Safety

Someone Else to Hang Your Lights