Elderly people

Injuries and Accidents in people aged 70 or over

According to the latest data from the RETRACE 2013-2020 report, the number of visits to the emergency department for injuries/accidents among people aged 70 or over generally increased over the period 2013-2019, with a more pronounced surge in 2020.

Rates of hospitalisation in the wake of an injury/accident among those aged 70 or over are very high, and they increase with increasing age of the patient. The hospitalisation rate following an injury is estimated at 26 % in residents and non-residents aged 70 or over for the period 2013-2020. This number is considerably higher than the hospitalisation rate following an injury in the general population (7 %) and in people aged 25-69 (6 %).

In 2020, despite the pandemic, elderly people continued to attend emergency departments. This is likely due to the seriousness of their injuries, which are often compounded by pre-existing health problems, requiring urgent medical attention, unlike in the rest of the population.

Preventive steps

People aged 70 or over are mainly affected by accidents at home or in the context of leisure activities. The majority of accidents for people in this age group are falls. Falls at home (excluding care homes) are mainly same-level falls (as opposed to falls from height), and happen when taking care of personal hygiene (for example, slipping in the shower or bath), when the person is going to the toilet, or when they are sleeping or resting.

The ageing of the population is a societal challenge. The growing number of people at a high risk of falling needs to be taken into consideration for prevention purposes and for the organisation and planning of care.

Additional information about other risk factors, which is not collected by hospital emergency departments, would be helpful in order to better target preventive measures.