Survey of domestic accidents in the elderly in the Province of Genoa (Northern Italy)

Abstract

The data collected during this survey are in line with those yielded by national and international studies. They show that the elderly are very vulnerable to domestic accidents and that, even in the event of only slight injury, the management of elderly victims requires a strong organisational commitment on the part of relatives and considerable financial resources for healthcare services. Falling proved to be the main cause of injury. Clearly, efforts to reduce the cost of accidents in the home should aim to implement preventive intervention among elderly people, since the elderly population is destined to grow as a result of increasing life expectancy. In particular, preventive action should focus on reducing the incidence of falls by eliminating risk-related structural features in domestic settings as far as possible and by raising public awareness of the problem through health education campaigns.