A retrospective survey was made of the average improvement, length of stay, and discharge placement of 180 stroke patients admitted to a rehabilitation hospital. The patients were divided into four age groups: under 55, 55-65, 66-75, and over 75. A grading system was used for evaluating the patient's ability in ambulation and self-care. No significant differences were found among the four age groups. The patients were then divided into subgroups depending upon the admission functional score: 0-20, 21-40, 41-60, and over 60. In the subgroups, no statistically significant differences were apparent for the average improvement of patients under age 55 as compared to those over 75, except for those whose initial functional score was 21-40. In this subgroup, the average improvement for patients under age 55 was 26.4 points with a length of stay of 31.9 days, whereas for those over age 75 the average improvement was 15.5 points with a length of stay of 25.9 days. Thus, age per se did not seem to be a determinant factor in successful rehabilitation; rather, the poor showing of the oldest group for the 21-40 score in the sub-set may have been due to premature discharge.
Recovery from traumatic brain injury in the elderly is a subject rarely discussed in the medical literature, and existing data is conflicting. The Traumatic Brain Injury Unit at Gaylord Hospital routinely admits patients over 50 years of age for rehabilitation after significant closed head injury. Of the 26 elderly head-injured patients reviewed over a four-year period for this study, 85% eventually returned to a home setting, with more than half independent in activities of daily living. Based on this encouraging data, it is suggested that the older head-injured patient can recover from severe closed head injury.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.