Deaths of the elderly exposed to violence in Turkey.

Due to the socio-cultural and demographical changes that have been taking place in Turkey, differences in types of violence are coming on the scene. The purpose of the present study is to reveal the number of violence deaths and the variation by time in the types of violence resulting in death in the elderly of ages 65 and above in Turkey. Using a retrospective (descriptive) epidemiological method, this study was carried out with 1,326 subjects of ages 65 and above among 17,015 criminal autopsies between years 1996-2001. According to the crime scene investigations, the percentage of deaths caused by firearm injuries increased to 4.0% in 2001 from 1.9% in 1994. The dispersion of the subjects according to autopsy findings were pathologically caused death (32.3%), negative autopsy (20.3%), general body trauma (20.1%) and hanging (6.3%). Changes in the rates of deaths caused by cutting/piercing tool injuries are 1.9% and 4.3%, respectively. Regulations are needed to reinforce and financially support the family, to secure humanely life standards for the elderly, and to ensure homecare to an optimum extent.