7 Steps for Fall-Proofing Your Home

Staying safe and sound after you’ve been hurt in a serious tumble can be as easy as falling off a log—and a lot less painful.

In fact, a recent study confirmed that if everyone implemented a single fall intervention strategy, such as home modifications, collectively Americans could avoid more than 40,000 medically treated spills and save more than $440 million in direct medical costs each year. 

“There should be two top priorities after a fall: good lighting and eliminating tripping hazards like rugs and low furniture,” suggests Brad Manor, Ph.D., associate scientist at the Harvard-affiliated Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research.

Other factors besides home improvement are just as critical, says Manor. This includes sticking to a rehabilitation program, undertaking doctor-approved exercises, and maintaining healthy vision and hearing.

But everything begins with a safe, sound living space.

Your occupational, physical, or rehabilitation therapist can help pinpoint potential trouble areas. And there are abundant internet resources for individuals and builders, including those available from the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence (FPCE) at the University of Southern California Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.

Whether you launch into major renovations or immediate quick fixes, any good safety program should incorporate many of the following strategies. Fall-proof your home with these steps.

Step 1: Double-Check Outdoor Walkways

Wintry, icy conditions aside, the pathways leading up to your home can be a common spot for tumbles and trips. Prep your outdoor area with these solutions:

• If there are stairway steps leading to your front door, ensure that they’re about one foot deep to accommodate the full foot. (If not, consider extending them.)

• Place reflective and slip-proof markers on each stairway step and consider adding railings alongside the entryway stairs.

• Install motion-sensitive lighting outside to fully illuminate the porch and, if possible, allow at least five square feet of space outside the main door.

• Make it a point to remove any obstacles from the front porch, and double-check that the walking surface is nonslip.

Step 2: Declutter the Living Room

Although a living room might seem like a generally safe space, you’re still subject to falls if you’re not taking the right precautions:

• Leave lots of open, furniture-free space to maneuver around the room.

• Check sofa and chair armrests. Sturdy armrests can provide critical support if you struggle to get to your feet, but only if they can handle your weight. Replace them with stronger varieties if necessary, or find ways to brace them.

• Check for other “braceable” solid objects around the room. As Visiting Nurse Service of New York senior physical therapist William Campbell, Ph.D., cautions, dizziness upon standing (orthostatic hypotension) is a leading cause of fainting. “You don’t always know it’s happening. So, in addition to having an easy way to stand, you should think about pausing for a few seconds whenever you get up, and don’t move if dizziness is present.” 

• Place reachable, easy-to-operate lamps and light switches near seating areas. Another solid option: Invest in smart lighting solutions that allow you to control switches with your smartphone or a remote control.     

Step 3: Boost Traction to the Bathroom

With slippery, wet floors and other surfaces, it’s no wonder that the bathroom can be a hotbed of dangerous falls. Add some traction with these tips:

• Invest in nonslip rubber mats by the sink, the toilet, and outside the shower or bathtub.

• Place nonslip strips or decals on the shower or bath floor, or consider replacing surfaces with nonslip tiles.

• Replace current hot water spigots with thermostatic or anti-scald controls.

• Add grab bars inside the shower or bath and alongside the toilet.

• Buy a raised, padded toilet seat with handles.

• Use a handheld shower hose instead of a stationary nozzle. Similarly, place a soap dispenser nearby, so you never have to fish for a slippery bar. According to Campbell, “A common cause of falls is reaching beyond your base of support instead of taking a couple of extra steps to get your body closer to what you’re reaching for. This can be treacherous in the shower or bath.” 

• If your bath or shower area doesn’t have built-in seating, purchase a heavy in-shower seat with sturdy handrails.

• Buy suction-bottomed sandals, a magnifying mirror, and a pill bottle magnifier to make bathroom life easier.

Step 4: Rethink Your Kitchen Space 

Preparing food in a crowded kitchen can be a juggling act for anyone. But for those with some physical limitations, it can be truly hazardous.

“Most falls occur in stages, so people will try to grab onto something,” says Manor. To avoid that kind of risk, he recommends ensuring that there are always solid handholds within reaching distance—and that you do as much preparation as possible while seated. He also suggests that you:

• Move the heaviest and most-used kitchen items to the lowest shelves.

• Invest in a “grabber” device to extend reach.

• If you occasionally use a stool, make sure it’s the heavy-duty kind, with a solid center of gravity and strong handles all around.

• Create preparation and work areas that are waist-high to accommodate a seated cook.

Step 5: Spot-Check the Rest of the House

• Replace light switches and thermostats with rocker-type or pressure-sensitive alternatives.

• If possible, lower switches to a wheelchair-accessible level.

• Install lever-style, one-handed doorknobs, instead of turning bulbs that require a solid grip.

• Secure or hide cords that could present a tripping hazard.

• Measure doorways to ensure a wheelchair can clear them. If necessary, have a carpenter widen them accordingly.

• Amp up the lighting and keep it consistent from room to room, and choose conventional bulbs with the highest allowable wattage, or use LED lights.

• Examine corners and small spaces for shadows that could conceal hazards.

• Inventory the house for clutter or walking obstacles. Where they tend to collect, place clearly marked, highly visible storage containers that you can access without twisting yourself into a pretzel.

• Minimize the number of throw rugs and area rugs. Where they remain, secure them with double-sided carpet tape or rubber matting. Remember that unsecured rugs, loose floorboards, or uneven surfaces pose a substantial tripping risk.

• On stairways, clearly mark each step with reflective tape, a contrasting border, or both.

• Place light switches at both ends of the stairway.

• If possible, extend handrails beyond both ends of the stairs for additional grabbing space. 

Step 6: Plan for Long-Term Safety Changes 

If you have the means, a complete home renovation might be your best solution for preventing falls. The National Association of Home Builders recommends using a certified specialist to plan and update living areas, and there are abundant resources on the Lifetime Home to help guide you if you want to tackle the project sans professional help.

These changes, designed to reduce the instability created by having to stop or stretch, include the following:

• Replace entryway stops with an incline or ramp that leads to a beveled area. The slope should not exceed a one-inch rise for every 12 inches of length.

• Expand the landing area outside the front door to beyond five square feet and substitute slip-resistant flooring for ordinary surfaces.

• Create extra-wide doorways between all rooms.

• Construct waist-level workstations in the kitchen and elsewhere, to minimize standing.

• Lower the uppermost cabinets by about three inches for better accessibility.

• Lower sinks and other appliances accordingly, and install task lights in heavily used areas.

• Build seating directly into the bath or shower, add plenty of grab bars, and ensure that everything is easily reachable.

• Replace shower or tub floors with nonstick tiling.

• Install motion-sensitive lights inside and outside the home, particularly along heavily traveled routes like the path from the bedroom to the bathroom.

• Place outlets at least 18 to 24 inches above the floor, light switches 36 to 44 inches above the floor, and thermostats no higher than 48 inches from the floor.

• Add movie-theater-style lighting, nonslip strips, and clear markings and different colors to any remaining stairways to make each step clearly visible.

• In the laundry room, use a front-loading washer and dryer raised 12 to 15 inches above the floor.

Step 7: Stick to Your Rehab 

While fall-proofing your home can sometimes be enough to prevent another serious tumble, that’s not always the case for everyone. Chronic medical conditions, muscle weakness, dizziness, and the side effects of commonly prescribed medications can compromise balance and steadiness during the post-injury period—even in the safest of environments.

That’s why sticking to a rehab and therapy program is every bit as essential as creating a fall-proof home.

“We need to make sure patients get motivated and engaged,” says UCLA internist and geriatric medicine specialist David Reuben, M.D. “There’s evidence that exercise, balance training, vision correction, and getting off some medications can reduce the risk of falls. And despite the fact that these things sound so basic and simple, they’re not being routinely implemented.”

As one of the leads of the multiyear STRIDE fall reduction project (Strategies to Reduce Injuries and Develop Confidence in Elders), he’s determined to change that. And others in the fall-prevention world share his commitment and growing sense of optimism. They know that awareness and attention can help reduce the number of serious falls, while proving that the National Council on Aging’s conclusion that falls are not an inevitable result of aging is totally correct.