|
 People older than 65 have the highest rates of gun ownership,
depression and suicide in the U.S., and while they're less likely to
be victims of violent crimes, they are more likely to become victims
of their own guns, the authors write in the Journal of the American
Osteopathic Association.
"Older individuals are a relatively hidden cohort of gun violence
victims," said Dr. Katherine Galluzzi of the Philadelphia College of
Osteopathic Medicine in Pennsylvania.
Galluzzi and co-author Ilene Warner-Maron wrote the article in the
wake of several mass shootings, when doctors began posting on social
media with the #ThisIsOurLane hashtag, saying they were "in the
trenches" of gun control in emergency rooms, intensive care units
and trauma centers. At the same time, Galluzi said, primary care
doctors are in the trenches with older patients.
"Older individuals are more likely to see their providers regularly,
which puts us in a unique position of responsibility," she told
Reuters Health by email. "We may serve a primary role in preventing
these tragedies from occurring."
In their article, Galluzzi and Warner-Maron describe two tragic
deaths involving seniors with compromised mental health who had guns
at home.
In one, a 72-year-old widower who lived alone with his cat was
hospitalized after falling down. Scans of his spine showed
metastatic prostate cancer, but he rejected treatment, saying he
wanted to get home as soon as possible, had lived "long enough" and
was "worried about the cat."
A social worker said he seemed despondent but was focused on going
home. A psychiatric evaluation found he had major depression but was
competent to make decisions. The patient was discharged with
antidepressant medication. Two days later, he shot himself in the
head.
[to top of second column] |
"When most of us think about gun violence, we tend to think about
angry young men, and they are only part of the picture," Galluzzi
said.
In the second case, an 80-year-old man with diabetes, hypertension
and kidney disease began experiencing cognitive decline. He lived
alone in a senior citizen apartment and received personal care
services five days a week through the Area Agency on Aging. The
agency assigned him the same home health aide for several months to
promote stability and avert confusion.
Still, one morning, he didn't recognize his health aide and thought
she was an intruder. She tried to calm him, but he retreated to his
bedroom, returned to the living room with a gun, and shot and killed
the aide.
"One of the realities of aging, and illnesses that are more common
with age, is that our abilities change," said Dr. Hillary Lum of the
University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.
"Activities that we've done our entire lives, such as driving,
managing our own finances, and owning and using a gun, can also be
affected," Lum told Reuters Health by email.
Galluzzi noted that the American Osteopathic Association passed a
resolution that supports doctors in talking to patients about gun
safety and calls for funding for the CDC and National Institutes of
Health to research gun violence.
"Physicians are already doing so much on the front lines every day,"
said Sonali Rajan of Columbia University in New York City. "This is
one way to bring together the prevention and treatment sides of
their practice."
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2QEJKXH Journal of the American Osteopathic
Association, online November 20, 2018.
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
