Abstract
Dementia that interferes with people’s independent functioning is a significant chronic condition in older adults. In Taiwan, as the number of elderly people is increasing rapidly, dementia has become a major public health issue. Little is known about dementia-related accidental injuries among Taiwanese patients. This study aimed to investigate differences in accidental injury admissions between people with dementia and those without dementia. The age-standardization admission rate ratio (ASARR) was used for comparison. Data was obtained from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Population-Based Database. Study results showed that dementia patients had lower likelihood of being admitted due to traffic accident (ASARR=0.74), but had higher likelihood of being admitted for accidental falls (ASARR=2.26), burns (ASARR=1.94), homicide (ASARR=1.65), poisoning (ASARR=3.01), and submersion and suffocation (ASARR=3.42). Dementia is a potential risk factor for accidental injuries. The development of prevention and intervention for dementia-related accidental injuries is necessary in the long-term care settings and local community organizations.