The more we stay at home, and the greater the risk of having a domestic accident ? We have to believe not… During the confinement period, from March 16 to May 10, emergencies recorded a 50% drop in admissions for this type of accident compared to the same period in 2019 , explains Public Health France in its Weekly epidemiological bulletin. Have the French been more cautious? Or did they avoid going to the hospital?
More serious accidents among children
Everyday life accidents (AcVC), which include domestic accidents, sports and leisure accidents and accidents occurring at school, are the cause of 5 million emergency visits, several hundred thousand hospitalizations, and more than 20,000 deaths in France each year.
While the use of emergency services for domestic accidents has dropped significantly, going from 15,881 to 7,115 between 2019 and 2020 over this two-month period, domestic accidents have not disappeared. They even tended to be tougher than usual. Children under 15 had more serious accidents than usual: the increase is 20%! Ditto for those over 45, with a more moderate increase (5%).
People over the age of 65 in particular experienced more serious falls : + 15%. The isolation of this segment of the population had already been highlighted by a previous study. While home helpers have mostly held their own, additional visits from everyday caregivers (family, friends) have dropped significantly, as the elderly were among the most vulnerable to the virus. However, caregivers play a very important role in monitoring and supporting dependent people, who are still at home.
No more gardening accidents
During the lockdown, the French who could have taken the opportunity to garden ! This has contributed to a 25% jump in severe accidents among the over 45s. A constant is observed: the hospitalization rate after a visit to the emergency room for a domestic accident has increased in all age groups: 18% of 45-64 year olds had to stay in hospital (compared to 11% in 2019), 60% of people over 85 (compared to 46% the previous year).
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