Preventing falls in the bathroom: the underestimated risk at home.

The bathroom feels like one of the most familiar places in the house. Close by, well known, used thousands of times without a second thought. That is exactly why the risk there is so easy to underestimate: a slippery floor, little to hold on to, and sitting down and getting up again many times a day. In this article you can read what the figures say, why the toilet in particular is a tricky moment, and what you can do today.

How often do older people fall at home and in the bathroom?

According to VeiligheidNL, an estimated 119,000 people aged 65 and over in the Netherlands went to an emergency department after a fall in 2024. That is one every four minutes. Of those, 38,600 were then admitted to hospital. Most of these falls happen in or around the home.

The consequences are often serious. Of the people aged 65 and over who were treated in an emergency department after a fall, 55% had a broken bone. For 19% it was a brain injury and for 15% a broken hip. After such a visit, 15,700 older people were admitted to a nursing home, temporarily or permanently. VeiligheidNL points out that a fall has a major effect on how well people can manage on their own and on being able to live at home for longer.

Exactly how often things go wrong in the bathroom or on the toilet is not in these annual figures: the VeiligheidNL infographic does not break the numbers down by room. There is, however, an estimate from 2024 by Sanitairwinkel (a Dutch online bathroom retailer), made with data from CBS (Statistics Netherlands) and VeiligheidNL. According to that estimate, at least 22,000 people aged 65 and over were admitted to hospital between 2013 and 2022 after a fall in the bathroom or on the toilet. That works out at an average of six admissions a day. It is an estimate by an online retailer and not an official statistic: for 41% of the hospital admissions it is not known where the person fell.

Why the toilet in particular?

Everyone knows the shower can be slippery. But why do falls happen at the toilet too? Four reasons:

• Standing up takes strength and balance. Getting up from a low toilet seat takes strength in the legs and good balance. Both decline with the years.
• There is little to hold on to. Many toilets have nothing to hold on to at all. If you push yourself up on the washbasin or the windowsill, you are leaning on things that were not made for it.
• It happens at night too. Sleepy, in the dark and often in a hurry.
• It has to happen several times a day. You can skip a bath, but not a trip to the toilet. Every single day, whether it is a good day or not.

The hidden harm: fear of falling

A fall does not have to cause an injury to do harm. Someone who has fallen once, or nearly, may start to dread going to the toilet, deliberately drink less in the evening or no longer dare to go at night. That fear can lead to moving less, moving less to less muscle strength, and less muscle strength to a greater risk of falling. In this way a single fright can be the start of a downward spiral.

Seven steps you can take this week

1. Light the way. Night lights with a motion sensor between the bedroom and the toilet cost little and let you see where you are walking at night.
2. Take up loose mats. A loose bath mat slides away easily. Remove it, or choose a mat with a non-slip backing.
3. Make the floor less slippery. VeiligheidNL recommends slip-resistant floors, in the bathroom too. Think of non-slip strips or a non-slip mat in the shower and bath.
4. Have grab rails fitted. Next to the toilet and in the shower, fixed firmly to the wall so that they can bear your weight.
5. Raise the seat height. The higher the seat, the less strength it takes to stand up. A raised toilet seat is the simplest way.
6. Take your time. Stand up in two stages: first sit on the edge for a moment, and only then get up. VeiligheidNL advises waiting, when you stand up, until any dizziness has passed.
7. Get support for the movement. If standing up is a struggle every time, an aid that supports the movement itself can be the answer.

The bathroom is one part of the bigger picture. To find out how to tackle the rest of the house step by step, read our article on living independently at home for longer.

When does a toilet lift make sense?

Grab rails and a raised seat help as long as most of your strength is still there. But if standing up becomes an effort every time, or it already involves a swing, a wobbly moment or help from someone else, a fixed rail does not solve the real problem.

An electric toilet lift such as the Comfort StandUp supports the movement of sitting down and standing up. The seat goes up and down gently and evenly, and you operate the lift yourself with the button in the armrest. No aid can rule out a fall. But you need less strength and less of a swing at the moment when standing up is hardest, and that can help you go to the toilet with more confidence. The lift stands freely over the toilet, with no building work, and fits over most standard toilets.

In the Netherlands you can apply to your municipality under the Wmo (the Dutch Social Support Act) for aids and home adaptations. The municipality assesses each application case by case. Our page on reimbursement through the Wmo explains how to get started.

Don't wait for the first fall

Don't put off making changes until something has gone wrong. The figures above are no reason to be afraid, but a reason to sort out a few things this week. Starting small is fine, as long as you start.

Sources

1. VeiligheidNL, Infographic Valongevallen 65-plussers: feiten en cijfers 2024, 2025.
2. VeiligheidNL, Recordaantal 65-plussers op spoedeisende hulp na valpartij, news item of 29 September 2025.
3. VeiligheidNL, Checklist: Zo blijft u overeind en voorkomt u een val, accessed in 2026.
4. Sanitairwinkel, study of falls in the bathroom based on data from CBS and VeiligheidNL, 2024. Accessed via Ouderen Belangen, Val in de badkamer: ruim 22.000 ziekenhuisopnames onder senioren in tien jaar tijd, 26 September 2024.

Last checked on 19 September 2026.