While most Israelis dash to shelters and safe rooms at the sound of sirens, more and more people—especially the elderly—are arriving at hospital emergency rooms across the country with complex injuries caused by running to the protected area in their homes.
“We saw it especially during the missile attacks from Yemen, but it’s also significant now,” Dr. Maayan Rahamim, a physician in the Emergency Medicine Department at Ichilov Hospital, told Walla! Health. “Unfortunately, there are many injuries on the way to the shelter—head injuries among older adults, shoulder injuries, arm injuries, things that people usually don’t fully recover from.”
The data he presents are troubling: “I can say that in every shift I see at least 3–6 such cases, and that’s just at Ichilov. Mostly these are elderly people with spinal fractures, serious fractures.”
And there are serious consequences—especially when it comes to older people. “When we’re talking about people who already have skeletal issues, especially older women, any fracture that occurs can definitely affect the prognosis, quality of life, and lead to significant physical deterioration,” Dr. Rahamim adds.
More injuries from walking to the shelter than from the rockets themselves
“At the level of older adults,” says Dr. Rahamim, “if you look at the period since October 7, 2023, there have been far more injuries resulting from walking to the shelter than from the rocket fire itself, and I’m referring to all the recent years.” This is astounding evidence that the indirect harm from rocket attacks may be more severe than the direct damage.
Dr. Rahamim emphasizes that we’re not necessarily talking about 80- or 90-year-olds getting hurt on the way to safe rooms or shelters: “I’m talking about people who understand what’s going on—let’s say those over 70 and not necessarily very old yet—and they’re in these statistics too. They rush to the shelter or the safe room and fall. A 70-year-old woman doesn’t have the physical strength of a younger woman.”
“Especially in the current situation,” Dr. Rahamim stresses, “when we have alerts that give us 10 minutes or more before each siren, we must be careful on the way to protected spaces, especially when it comes to the elderly population. The injury that can occur to these individuals on the way may signal the beginning of physical decline. There is no need to run.”
Dr. Rahamim’s plea from Ichilov is a wake-up call to all of us: Instead of panicking and running to the shelter, it’s better to walk at a reasonable pace and arrive safely. Because sometimes, the way to the safe place can be more dangerous than the threat itself.