Injury

Injuries happen when we harm or damage our body—like skinning a knee or breaking a bone. Whether injuries are accidental or intentional, most are preventable.

A first responder wraps a bandage around a person’s injured wrist.
An elderly woman sits upright in a hospital bed while a caregiver pours her a cup of tea.

Injury hospitalization

Severe injuries may require hospital care to heal. Hospitalization is costly to the healthcare system and to individuals. Hospital stays are expensive—and when we are hospitalized, we are unable to work and participate fully in our community. [1] Preventing injuries is essential to reducing these costs.

Falls are by far the most common injury requiring hospitalization in our community
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Falls are by far the most common injury requiring hospitalization in our community

Falls—slipping, tripping, and stumbling to the ground or a lower level—can lead to injury, chronic pain, reduced quality of life, and (in severe cases) death. Even without an injury, falling can cause a person to lose confidence and reduce their activities for fear of falling again. [2]  

A bar graph shows the average injury hospitalizations per 100,000 people in Guelph and Wellington County in 2022. For a full description of the graph, refer to the “Read graph as text” section.
In 2022, falls were by far the most common injury requiring hospitalization in Guelph and Wellington County. A bar graph shows the average injury hospitalizations per 100,000 people in Guelph and Wellington County in 2022. The y-axis shows the type of injury, and the x-axis shows the average hospitalizations per 100,000 people. The bar indicating hospitalizations for falls is the longest by a wide margin. Source: Canadian Institute for Health Information
Library books on a shelf.

References

  1. Parachute. (2015). The cost of injury in Canada. 
  2. Parachute. (2024, October 30). Falls in seniors. 
An open drawer in a card catalog.

Data sources

Canadian Institute for Health Information. (2023). Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) – Inpatient discharges, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, IntelliHealth Ontario [Database]. Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health [Distributor]. Retrieved December 2, 2024. 

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