Elderly Likely to Commit Suicide in Retirement Homes as Well

Recent statistics show that older people, living in retirement homes, under constant surveillance, are just as likely to attempt suicide as the elderly living inside communities or in their own homes. The research was conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Michigan, led by Dr. Briana Mezuk.

 

She told Reuters Health that, while the number of suicide cases dropped considerably in people aged over 60 living in communities, the number of suicides among old people staying in long-term care centers remained the same.

 

Mezuk and colleagues analyzed some 1,771 cases of people over 60 taking their own lives, between 1990 and 2005. They found that "Factors that predict admission to long-term care facilities and nursing homes, such as social isolation, depression, functional limitations, and cognitive impairment, are also associated with suicide," the lead researcher said.

 

"Suicide prevention strategies aimed at older adults living in the community are either not reaching or are not effective at reducing suicide risk in long-term care settings," she added.

 

Both categories seem to "prefer" long falls as a form of taking their own lives. But old people living in their own homes also use firearms, whereas restrictive conditions in care facilities prevent those living there from using this method. Of the of 1,724 cases of suicide registered in communities, 30 percent were caused by long falls and 29 percent by hanging.

 

Similarly, in nursing homes, 51 percent of deaths were caused by falls and 36 percent were the result of hanging. The researchers were puzzled at the results of their study, because this kind of surveys are conducted very rarely, and previous statistics were at least 10 years old.

 

They emphasize the need for psychologists to create new preventive strategies, aimed directly at this segment of population, and especially towards people over 60 living in retirement homes, considering that suicide statistics are rising country-wide. A functional set of such measures could help reduce the number of elderly committing suicide significantly.