Filial Piety

Sorry for the absence, still dealing with family responsibilities. Anyhow . . .

Few of us ever think about the huge reduction in traumatic injuries that Americans enjoyed during the 20th Century. I'm reading a book about this subject, of which more anon once I am ready to write the authoritative Cervantes review, but for now I'll just note that changes in building codes, consumer product regulations, highway design and features, automobile design requirements, workplace safety regulations etc. had an enormous impact of which the public is little cognizant.

The picture is complicated because there are separate statistical systems for workplace injuries, motor vehicle injuries, violent, injuries, etc., but just as one example the death rate from motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. was about 22/100,000 per year in 1980 and has fallen to about 15. Unfortunately, while deaths from other causes of injury have fallen steadily, deaths from accidental poisoning -- meaning mostly drug overdoses -- have been rising lately. Note that the progress results from a combination of technological advances, and government regulation to force builders and manufacturers to use the technology. This is just one more area in which simple-minded libertarian ideology fails utterly.

When I was a child, my cousins had a friend whose nightgown caught fire from brief exposure to a gas burner and who suffered agonizing and disfiguring burns over much of her body. Nowadays, that can't happen, because children's sleepwear is, by law, flame retardant. Think about that, Cato institute.

Unfortunately, one problem for which there is no simple technological or regulatory fix is falls by elderly people. This information service of a consortium of Ohio universities is one of those reliable Web resources I commend to your attention. They tell us that nearly 1/3 of women over 65 will fall every year, and the rate goes up with age. The risk for men is somewhat less but still substantial. Although hip fractures are the classic disastrous consequence of falls, head injuries and back injuries can also occur. These incidents can set people on the path to long-term decline and disability. The National Institute on Aging also gives out a lot of helpful information.

Thoughtfulness about people's physical environment is helpful -- night lights, keeping cords off the floor, making sure there aren't any loose throw rugs, grab bars and railings in all the right places, that sort of thing, can help. It's also important for people to do their best to stay active and to keep up their muscle tone and balance; to be alert to possible drug side effects that might cause dizziness of fainting, and not take any bullshit from their doctors about it; to look after bone strength and all that good stuff. Help out your friends and relatives and neighbors if they need to change ceiling light bulbs or do other chores that require climbing ladders or standing on chairs -- not a good idea if you're getting on, I'm afraid.

Be mindful.