Injuries, falls and accidents among adults with intellectual disabilities. Prospective cohort study.

Van der Molen et al. (2010) followed 511 Irish adults with intellectual disability for one full year. They counted every injury, fall, and accident that needed medical care.

The team wanted to know who gets hurt most. They checked age, sex, Down syndrome, epilepsy, and incontinence.

One in five adults had at least one injury. One in eight had a fall that caused harm.

Epilepsy raised the risk of any injury. Incontinence raised the risk of falls. Down syndrome lowered fall risk.

McCarron et al. (2022) show the same Irish cohort can stay in studies for over a decade. This gives us confidence the injury numbers are stable.

Takenoshita et al. (2026) extend the Down story. They find adults with Down syndrome face high dementia risk, yet J et al. show these same adults fall less. The two papers together tell us Down syndrome brings both protection and risk.

Tyrer et al. (2009) and Morad et al. (2007) use the same risk-factor method for heart disease and constipation. J et al. repeat the recipe for injuries, proving the method works across health problems.

You can spot high-risk clients in seconds. Flag epilepsy or incontinence on intake. Add extra safety plans like clutter checks, non-slip shoes, or seizure pads. Praise teams when a Down syndrome client stays fall-free—the data say it is expected. Share the numbers with families to show why these steps save pain and cost.