Oct 2, 2023 at 12:03 AM Update: 2 hours ago
More and more people are dying from falls. In 2022, twice as many people will have died from a fall than more than ten years ago.
Statistics agency CBS reports that 6,200 people died from falls last year. That is 15 percent more than a year earlier.
The largest increase can be seen among people over the age of 90 and people who fall under the Long-term Care Act (Wlz) due to a so-called psychogeriatric condition (such as dementia).
The CBS figures concern death due to an “accidental fall”. This means that someone is injured in a trip or slide and dies from the injuries within thirty days. But falls involving a means of transport have not been included, because they are considered traffic accidents.
More fatal falls due to aging population
According to Statistics Netherlands, the number of fatal falls is increasing mainly due to the aging population. The statistics office has included the aging and population growth of recent decades in its analysis.
Until 1998, the number of fatal falls decreased, especially among women. Then the number gradually increased. Since 2010, the number has even doubled: from 17.5 fatal falls per 100,000 inhabitants in 2010 to 35.2 in 2022.
Falls are the most common non-natural cause of death
Most fatal falls occur among women aged eighty or older. 43 percent of the victims were over 80 and 36 percent were over 90. Women formed the majority in both categories.
The largest increase in the number of fatal falls can be seen among people over the age of 90, again mainly among women. In that category, the number of fatal fall victims per 100,000 inhabitants doubled compared to 2012. An increase can also be seen among male people over the age of 90, but it is not as significant as among female peers.
Statistics Netherlands reports that in 2022, falls will still be by far the most common non-natural cause of death in the Netherlands. With 6,200 cases, it is much more common than, for example, suicide (1,900 times) and traffic accidents (772 times).
2023-10-02 06:38:04
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