Study of Unnatural Deaths in Elderly Population at a Government Medical College of Chennai (Tamil Nadu) Balaji R Vijay1, Janani S2,* 1Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Stanley Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 2Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Stanley Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu *Corresponding Author : Dr. Janani S, Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, Government Stanley Medical College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Phone : +91-7338974399, E-mail: janyraj@gmail.com
Online Published on 28 July, 2023. Abstract Introduction ‘Old age’ and ‘elderly’ are terms that cannot be defined precisely as they do not have the same meaning globally. As per the ‘National Policy on Older Persons’ of the Government of India, ‘senior citizen’ or ‘elderly’ is a person who is of age 60 years or above. Paucity of resources has resulted in limited information available for this age group. Materials and Methods In the present study, attempts have been made to estimate the prevalence of medico-legal autopsies in elderly population which was performed in the Department of Forensic Medicine at Stanley Medical College Hospital, Chennai. Post-mortem records of individuals of age 60 and above, were studied after obtaining permission from the Institutional Ethics Committee. Results Hanging was the common method of suicide. We have reported one case of suicidal electrocution in the present study. 23% of individuals remained unidentified till the time of autopsy. 87% of the unknown individuals were male. Almost half (48%) of the cases in the present study, died due to natural causes but ended up being autopsied in the medico-legal mortuary of the hospital. Conclusion Due care and attention to the elderly in their dependant years can bring down the number of redundant medico-legal deaths and also results in proper and dignified disposal of the dead, to which everyone is entitled. Top Keywords Elderly, Old Age, Medico-Legal Autopsy. Top |