Preventing Accidents to Older People
Where do accidents happen?
The most serious accidents involving older people usually happen on the stairs and in the bedroom or living room.
The largest proportion of accidents are falls from stairs or steps with over 60% of deaths resulting from accidents on stairs.
Location of non-fatal falls from stairs or steps:
- Over 60% occur on a staircase – these tend to get more serious as the person gets older
- 18% occur over interior steps, usually on a flight of two or three steps between adjacent rooms
- 13% occur on outside steps, either in the garden or leading to the front door
- 7% occur over the doorstep, entering or leaving the house
- 1% occur from a step ladder while cleaning windows etc1
1 Department of Trade and Industry. Falls on stairs in the home involving older people: statistics. London: DTI, 2000
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