They should be called “accidents of life in times of health crisis”, rather than accidents of daily living (stroke) at this time.
This is because these traumas, which are divided between domestic accidents, accidents occurring outside (store, sidewalk, etc.), sports accidents and vacation and leisure accidents, no longer have the same profile since we are more at home, confinement requires.
Accidents of everyday life cause 11 million victims each year.
Most suffer minor injuries but some may suffer from a disability or even die (20,000 per year).
If specialists see as many strokes in number, the share of accidents at home has however jumped by 50% during the first confinement.
Quite logically, those linked, for example, to a sporting activity have plunged for lack of open infrastructure.
At the time of the first “real” reconfinement weekend for families, they are more than ever faced with a daily risk: falling among children.
It is on this specific point that the association which brings together insurers, Assurance Prévention, is launching a campaign calling for vigilance.
“Among those under 15, it is the most frequent accident (
60%, Editor's note
).
And for those under a year old, the fall represents 7 accidents out of 10. There are few deaths among young people (
about twenty each year, editor's note
) but the consequences can be very serious, ”warns Nathalie Irisson, the general secretary of 'Prevention Insurance.
And the latter to note "only one positive thing" in this health crisis that can reduce the number of stroke.
“With the wearing of masks and barrier gestures, the culture of prevention is beginning to penetrate homes.
However, for everyday accidents, it is often enough to apply a few simple actions to avoid them, ”insists the manager.
"You might as well leave them barefoot!"
It is not a question of preventing the children from moving, who are forced to stay at home.
But letting them run down the hall in socks, is that reasonable?
If you don't have non-slip slippers to provide them, “you might as well leave them barefoot!
», Advises Nathalie Irisson.
In a study (
Insurance Prevention Study carried out by OpinionWay from October 2 to 19, 2020, among 1,002 parents with at least one child under 15 and 501 children aged 6 to 12
) produced by the association, almost 1 in two children say they have already had a fall at home.
However, nearly half of parents say they have been more cautious about the risk of stroke since the onset of the health crisis.
This is explained by the daily presence of children (55%) and by the increased presence of parents at their home (44%) during the confinement of March-May.
Among the reasons mentioned: the wish not to overload hospitals.
“When my daughter was 4, she had the annoying habit of jumping on the sofa.
One day she fell, grabbed a corner of the living room table and lost consciousness for a moment.
I took her to the emergency room.
It was two years ago.
I wouldn't want that to happen again today.
Doctors have other things to do, ”says Laetitia, 35 years old from Maisons-Alfort (Val-de-Marne).
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Nearby, her friend Siham, mother of two boys aged 9 and 6, agrees: “it's difficult for them to let off steam only for an hour a day, outside.
Especially when you live, like me, in an apartment.
To be on the safe side, I practically prohibited them from cooking.
In teleworking, I cook more often and I don't want to see them tumble down running, while pots on the fire are lying around.
"
Explosion of DIY accidents
When the fall can lead, in addition, to burns ... These have also increased by 140% during the first confinement, over the period from March 17 to May 11, reveals another study from the Observatory Ma Vie, in link with Inserm Bordeaux (
Mavie Observatory of September 2020, led by Inserm, the University of Bordeaux and Calyxis, on everyday accidents
).
It should be noted that it is the accidents related to DIY that caused the most damage with an explosion of + 200%.
“With the health crisis, we have seen accidents appear that we saw little, if at all, specifies Catherine Sztal-Kutas, director of Calyxis, the pole of expertise for personal risks in Niort (Deux-Sèvres ). It is the child who drank hydroalcoholic gel that we left available on a table. Bleach also because we spend our time disinfecting everything and the product is not put away after… ”Skin poisoning also when parents (to protect against coronavirus?) Brush their children with essential oil, ignoring the recommendations on the instructions.