Last week, a 70-year-old man was able to break a window on the eighth floor of a Fresno CA hospital and then leap to his death in what hospital officials termed “an unfortunate accident.” But, was it an accident; or, was it due to the fact that suicide and suicide ideation in elder adults is not being given enough attention by healthcare facilities?
Facts about elder suicide:
• Elderly Men (65+) are the most “successful” at committing suicide comprising 49% of all suicides,
• Elder Adults account for 18% of all suicide deaths,
• Suicide Rate for Elders (65+) is 16.6 per 100,000 people vs. Suicide Rate for the Young is 12.5 per 100,000 people
Elder adults comprise 12% of the U.S. population and constitute the fastest growing segment. There are nearly 1.4 million adults aged 65 and older residing in thousands of nursing homes or assisted living facilities across the country at any given time. Not only are the numbers of elderly adults 65 and older increasing, but the number who
may try to commit suicide or have suicide ideation are growing as well.
The police lieutenant who spoke about the incident said that the man “had a history of mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, and was being evaluated” by hospital staff. But, somehow, he was able to pick up a chair, break a window, crawl out onto a narrow landing under the window and then jump to his death.
The man’s suicide seems to have happened very quickly; but, what if the staff working with this elderly man had been more aware of the facts about suicide and suicide ideation in the elderlyboth men and women. Could there have been a different result for this elderly man? Perhaps, a higher priority should be given regarding the potential for suicide and suicide ideation in the initial evaluation and admission of the elderly into any type of healthcare facilityparticularly skilled nursing homes.
There is significant information regarding elder suicide and suicide ideation to suggest that much if not all of it could be discovered and prevented through careful observation and sensitivity by healthcare staff who have been trained about elder adult suicide.
