Record number of over 65-year-olds in emergency rooms after falling
Last year, an estimated 119,000 people over the age of 65 ended up in the emergency room after a fall, according to new figures from VeiligheidNL. That is the highest number of incidents on record. VeiligheidNL, the knowledge center for the Ministry of Public Health, expects the number to increase due to the aging population in the Netherlands.
Per year, approximately 1 million people aged 65 or older fall in the Netherlands. “Every four minutes, an older person ends up in the emergency room after a fall, often following an incident in or around the home,” VeiligheidNL said.
One in three people over the age of 65 has gotten hurt in a fall, and the risk of falling increases with age. “Due to the double aging of the population - more elderly people and a higher average age - the number of (serious) falls is expected to continue to rise in the coming years.”
The number of serious injuries after a fall has increased by 14 percent between 2015 and 2024. Remarkably, the increase has been stronger in men (+31 percent) than in women (+9 percent) in the past decade. Despite this, two-thirds of elderly people who end up in the emergency room are women. Women are more likely to suffer bone fractures, while men are diagnosed with brain injuries relatively more often.
“As women age, they lose more muscle strength, have more chronic illnesses, and use more medications than men, increasing their risk of falls. After menopause, the risk of osteoporosis increases rapidly, making them more likely to break something,” said Nathalie van der Velde, a professor of fall prevention. “Men, on the other hand, are more likely to suffer brain injury, for example, because they do DIY jobs and fall from ladders. And although women still fall more often, the number of serious injuries in men is rising rapidly, partly due to their increased life expectancy.”
According to VeiligheidNL, there is a lot people can do to prevent a fall. “That starts with completing the online fall risk test and following the recommendations based on your fall risk,” said Rozan van der Veen, a fall prevention expert at VeiligheidNL. “A fall prevention course, for example, can help you train your muscle strength and balance. This way, you can remain independent and continue doing what’s important to you.”
This week is fall prevention week in the Netherlands. VeiligheidNL and the Ministry of Public Health will try to reach as many older people as possible with the “Standing Strong” campaign. The Ministry is also supporting a growing number of local initiatives to help older people build their physical resilience.
