The elderly might suffer fatal brain damage if they fall, says a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Brain injuries due to unintentional falls accounted for nearly 8,000 deaths and 56,000 hospitalizations among Americans above 65 years of age, in 2005. The report was published in the June issue of the Journal of Safety Research.

The precision of our system wanes with increasing age. This leads to more incidents of unintentional falling in the elderly because of mobility problems due to muscle weakness or poor balance, loss of sensation in feet, vision changes or loss, some chronic health problems and medication side effects or drug interactions. The aged are more vulnerable to domestic hazards such as clutter and poor lighting, according to background information in the study.

Other causes of deaths included heart failure, strokes, and several infections which got worsened by injuries sustained during a fall.

"A lot of people don't think a fall is serious unless they broke a bone, they don't think it's serious unless they break a hip. They don't worry about their head," said Pat Flemming, a senior physical therapist and researcher at Vanderbilt University.

A blow to the head during a fall may lead to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), which often results in long-term cognitive emotional, and/or functional impairment and can be misdiagnosed among older adults, according to the CDC.

Each year, One in three elderly Americans tumbles and 30 per cent of these falls require medical treatment.

"Most people think older adults may only break their hip when they fall, but our research shows that traumatic brain injuries can also be a serious consequence," said Dr. Ileana Arias, director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

"These injuries can cause long-term problems and affect how someone thinks or functions," she added.

With advancing age, the Death and hospitalization rates for fall-related TBIs generally increased as the blood vessels become more fragile and can be easily torn during a sudden blow or jolt to the head, said Marlena Wald, a CDC epidemiologist who co-authored the study.

That can cause a fatal brain bleed; it may be supplemented by other factors like the use of blood-thinners, said Judy Stevens, another CDC researcher and co-author.

In the study, researchers evaluated the data from the National Center for Health Statistics' National Vital Statistics System and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Nationwide Inpatient Sample.

They also found that the fall-related TBI death rate in was higher Men -- 26.9 per 100,000 as compared with 17.8 per 100,000 in women. Fall-related TBI hospitalization was lower amongst men at 146.3 per 100,000, than the 158.3 per 100,000 in women.

Older people should be cautioned to prevent falls. Besides improving their health with proper diet and exercise, they must use the right vision correction methods, if required. Drugs that affect thinking and coordination — such as tranquilizers and sleeping pills – must be taken, if required, in moderation.