REDUCING THE BURN RISK TO ELDERLY PERSONS LIVING IN RESIDENTIAL CARE

A 45-month retrospective analysis of 70 geriatric burn admissions to t he Welsh Regional Burns and Plastics Unit highlighted 13 (18.6 per cen t) injuries that occurred whilst the patient was in residential rare ( six residential care homes, seven nursing homes). The mean age overall was 83 years. The residential care patients had a TBSA of 12.5 per ce nt with a mortality of 46 per cent, whilst the group living in the com munity had a TBSA of 8.63 per rent with a mortality of 14 per cent. Th ese results were not statistically comparable due to the unequal popul ation grouping. The cause of injury in the residential group included Foe hot water scalds, six radiator contact burns, one flame burn and o ne flash burn. All 13 patients were found to have such severe dementia that they were unable to give a reliable history. In the majority of patients a lack of supervision was in part responsible. Some basic mea sures are presented that could reduce the incidence of accidental burn injury in this vulnerable group of the population.