Family Guide · No. 02

Home safety
walkthrough

A room-by-room fall-prevention list you can complete in an afternoon, mostly with a screwdriver and a bin bag.

Falls are the single largest cause of injury for older adults at home, and most of the hazards behind them are cheap to fix. Loose rugs, a dark landing, a bath with nothing to hold on to. None of it requires building work.

Walk the house with the person who lives in it, in the order below. Ask them to show you how they actually do things — how they get out of the bath, where they reach for the light — rather than describing it from the doorway. The gap between the two is where the risk sits.

Do first

Anything on a floor, stair or bathroom surface. Highest risk, lowest cost.

Do this week

Lighting, grab bars and anything needing a trip to a hardware shop.

Plan for

Ramps, stairlifts, walk-in showers. Ask about waiver funding first.

Entrances, halls and stairs

Handrail on both sides of every staircase, running the full length and firmly fixed

Light switches at the top and bottom of the stairs; no stairs lit from one end only

Nothing stored on the stairs — no baskets, no shoes, no “taking it up later” pile

Carpet edges and stair treads secure, not curling or worn through

Top and bottom step marked with contrasting tape if depth perception is a concern

Entry steps in good repair; a handrail beside outside steps

Outside light at the door that works, and a doorbell that can be heard from the back of the house

Path from car to door clear of hose, planters and uneven paving

Bathroom

More falls happen here per square foot than anywhere else in the house. Wet surfaces, tight turns, and a task that requires standing on one leg.

Grab bar beside the toilet and inside the bath or shower, screwed into studs — never a suction rail

Non-slip mat or adhesive strips on the bath or shower floor

Shower chair or transfer bench if standing for a full shower is tiring

Hand-held shower head so washing can be done seated

Raised toilet seat or frame if getting up is a struggle

Water heater set no higher than 120°F to prevent scalds

Door opens outward, or the lock can be released from outside

Night light or motion light on the route from bed to bathroom

Kitchen

Everyday items moved to between hip and shoulder height — no reaching up, no crouching down

Step stool removed from the house entirely, not just tidied away

Spills wiped immediately; a mop kept where it can be reached without a walk

Stove with an auto shut-off, or a timer used every time the hob goes on

Fire extinguisher within reach of the cooker, and someone who knows how to use it

Fridge checked for expired food on a set day each week

A sturdy chair at the counter so food prep can be done sitting down

Bedroom

Lamp, phone and glasses reachable without getting out of bed

Bed height allows feet flat on the floor when sitting on the edge

Clear, unobstructed path from bed to door — walk it in the dark yourself

Slippers with backs and non-slip soles; loose slip-ons and socks discarded

Clothes rail and drawers reachable without stretching or bending low

Throughout the house

Loose rugs removed or taped down on all edges

Cords and cables run along walls, never across a walkway

Brighter bulbs fitted in every room and hallway

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every floor, tested

Furniture arranged to leave wide, straight walking routes

Chairs with arms, at a height that allows standing unaided

Emergency numbers in large print by the phone

A charged phone or alert pendant carried, not left on a table

Walking aid the right height, with tips or wheels in good order

Spare key with a trusted neighbour or in a key safe

Beyond the house

Three things cause falls that no amount of grab bars will fix. Raise them with the physician, not the hardware shop.

Medication side effects. Dizziness and blood-pressure drops are common and often adjustable.

Vision. An out-of-date prescription, or bifocals worn on stairs.

Strength and balance. Ask about a physical therapy referral; decline is not inevitable.

If a fall has already happened, do not treat this list as sufficient. A fall is a clinical event as well as a safety one — it warrants a medical review, and often an assessment for regular support.

We will walk it with you

(614) 623-0974

fizacarellc@yahoo.com · Philip Amissah, Director

A home safety review is part of every Fiza Care in-home assessment, at no cost and with no obligation to start services.

General information only, not medical or occupational therapy advice. Structural changes may require a licensed contractor and, in rental property, the landlord’s consent. Ask your county case manager whether waiver funding covers any modification before paying for it.