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City of Hamilton - Public Health Services
Injury Prevention - Falls in Adults
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Falls are an important safety issue for adults! We tend to think about preventing falls in children and older adults, but adults of all ages are injured and hospitalized every year due to a fall. Most falls can be prevented by becoming aware of the risks and taking the right steps to prevent a fall.
Facts:
- In Hamilton in 2002-2003, 7203 adults (age 16-64) visited emergency due to a fall; 544 adults were admitted to hospital.
- Slips and trips are common among adults of all ages.
- Every hour in Ontario, 2 people visit emergency and 2 are admitted due to a head injury.
- Every year in Ontario, more than 1,200 injured cyclists are hospitalized.
- Every year in Ontario, there are more than 1000 injuries due to falls off ladders.
- Each day, more than 10 Ontarians are hospitalized because of a fall on stairs or steps.
- Falls in the bathroom are serious, yet easy to prevent.
- Healthy lifestyle choices throughout the adult years help prevent falls in the older adult years by maintaining bone health and muscle strength, and preventing chronic diseases.
- 80 people are injured every day in a fall at work; that’s one every 20 minutes. (WSIB)
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Last Updated December 23, 2008.
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