Almost one in 10 adults 65 years of age and older in the United States has dementia and 30% of all adults in this country own at least one gun. the mix of guns and dementia can increase the risk of unintentional death and injury. Kaiser Health News reported that, in Washington State alone, an estimated 54,000 people have dementia and guns in their homes. Unfortunately, health professionals, including primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, seldom ask patients with dementia and their families whether they have a gun in the home and how it is stored.
One of the Kaiser Health News reporters on this story is JoNel Aleccia. I had the opportunity to interview her for my radio program, HealthCetera in the Catskills on WIOX Radio in November. Here is that interview:
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