More than 3 million people or 22 procent of the Dutch population is 55 or older. This number will only increase in the future as the number of elderly is growing faster than the total population. This group is especially vulnerable to accidents and the consequences are often much more serious than with other groups.

An estimated 310,000 senior citizens are annually involved in home and leisure accidents which are serious enough to require medical attention. More than 1700 of these accidents prove fatal; 32,000 require hospitalization; 90,000 are treated in emergency rooms; and 190,000 are treated by a general practitioner. Extra attention must be given to prevention of accidents among the elderly. Information about the nature and extent of home and leisure accidents of the elderly is important when choosing and implementing preventive activities.

This epidemiological report contains the most important data on this subject. It was written mainly for: local and national policy makers within government; lobbyists and pressure groups; organizations involved in accident prevention and treatment; researchers; and others involved in the development of research and/or intervention policies in the field of home and leisure accidents.
This report gives a general overview of the issues but does not contain sufficient information to prepare interventions. For this, separate studies with more specific analysis are needed.