A Review of the Literature and An Analysis of Mortality and Hospitalization Data to Examine Patterns of Injuries Among Canadian Seniors

Injury is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among seniors in Canada, resulting in large personal and economic costs. However, despite the importance injuries play in the health of seniors, with the exception of falls, there has been relatively little research aimed at understanding risk factors associated with injuries among this age group. Therefore, the purpose of this report is two-fold: a) to review the existing literature on the epidemiology of injuries among seniors and b) to examine in detail the epidemiology of injuries among Canadian seniors using data provided by the Health Statistics Division of Statistics Canada.