Fall Prevention Home Safety Checklist

1 Fall PreventionHome Safety ChecklistWhat YOU Can Do To Prevent FallsEntranceBathroomDo you have tile or linoleum floors at your front or back doors?Yes: Whenever you re moving from one kind of floor surface to another,the change in surface texture can put you at risk for falls. (Especially ifit s raining or snowing outside and your feet bring some of that moistureinside to a slick surface.) Have solid, non-stick areas inside any en-trance to help secure you have a small deck landing (less than 5 square) at the front orback entrance?

2 Yes: Small landings can cause awkward turns to make room for anoutward swinging door. This is a fall risk. You want to have enoughroom to the side of your door to avoid the door swing. Add to yourdeck or remount the door to minimize this kind of clumsy the path from the bedroom to the bathroom dark?Yes: Install nightlights along the hallway even every outlet. Let themlight your you use towel racks for balance or to grab onto while getting in orout of the bathtub/shower?Yes: Towel racks may not be mounted well enough to support a person sweight.

3 Install grab rails next to and inside the tub and next to the a bathroom wall needs to be reinforced to make sure thegrab rails can support a person s weight. If you re planning a bathroomredo, consider the convenience of a walk-in it difficult to stand during a shower?Yes: A shower seat allows you to shower without getting tired or riskinga fall because of dizziness. It can also eliminate bending to wash feet orshave are a serious public health problem among older adults. In the United States, one of every three seniors over 65 years fall each year, and fallsare the leading cause of injury death for seniors 65 and over.

4 Simply makingchanges to the home does not reduce falls. However, certain risk factors inthe home environment may contribute to about half of all home falls. Homesthat were perfectly convenient one year can cause problems in later physical abilities can make daily routines more difficult. It makessense, then, to make changes to existing homes, or build in features in newconstruction that will help create a safer specific recommendations to prevent falls, complete the Fall Prevention Checklist for every room in your it s the front door orthe back door this is whereyou greet guests, haul in grocer-ies, fetch the mail, take in thepaper, and so much a smooth surfacelike tile with water, what doyou get?

5 A quick recipe forfalls. And as one of the mosthighly trafficked rooms inyour home, the bathroom canbe a good place for some fallprevention. YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NONo: Sometimes the heat and humidity in the shower can make youlight headed unexpectedly. Or an occasional virus might leave youtemporarily weak. You may still want to consider a shower seat or grabbars in the shower for extra the shower floor or bathtub slippery? Is there water on the floor?Are there leaks from the tub or shower?

6 Yes: Install non-skid strips or a non-slip mat. Patch leaks with caulk orother appropriate material. Wipe up spills immediately. Get a plumberto check fixtures and it necessary to reach far or turn around to get towels, shampoo, andsoap?Yes: A shower/bath storage unit that attaches to the side of the tub orshower wall can reduce the need to reach or turn around to get may find that liquid soap in a dispenser is more convenient. Fishingfor that slippery bar of soap that fell in the tub can be dangerousIs it difficult to get on and off the toilet?

7 Yes: It may be helpful to raise the seat and/or install the things you use often on high shelves?Yes: Move items around in your cupboards. Keep things you use oftenon the lower shelves (about waist high). Do not put heavy items onshelves where you have to reach up. Installing sliding shelves or lazysusans in corner cupboards can help you make your most convenientshelves hold more of what you use the your step stool unsteady?Yes: Get a new, steady step stool with a bracing bar to hold on to. Mostof them fold up for easy storage, and have sturdy, non-skid steps andlegs that grip the floor to help keep you steady.

8 Retire the old one. Anold step stool is not an heirloom, it s a Safety hazard!Do you use chairs, boxes or makeshift items to reach high shelves?Yes: Get a new sturdy step it necessary to reach far or bend over to get commonly used itemsand foods?Yes: Rearrange cupboards. Put items you use every day in your mostconvenient (continued)KitchenWhat s cooking in thekitchen? Don t let it be a fall!But if you re preparing mealsor cleaning up, you might bedoing several things at down! Move deliber-ately.

9 Take an extra trip ratherthan load up your arms. Wipeup any spills you might stepin. Close cabinets and draw-ers when you re not usingthem. YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NO YES NOIs there liquid, food or grease or other clutter on the floor?Yes: Sweep often and wipe up spilled liquids immediately to reducethe chances of there a long reach from the bed to a light switch?Yes: It s good to have a light switch within easy reach of where yousleep. Move the lamp closer to the bed or attach a small lamp to theheadboard to reduce the risk of falling either from over reaching orfrom moving about in the you need to get out of bed or reach far to answer the telephone?

10 Yes: A longer phone extension cord can help bring the phone closer tothe bed. Even better, a cordless phone within easy reach of the bedmeans you can just move the handset close to the are a tripping hazard. Reroute cords so they don t cross whereyou walk. That might mean getting a longer extension cord so it cantravel along a wall instead of across the room. Or consider getting anelectrician to install additional t fasten cords to the wall with staples or nails. Use tape designedfor this there clutter (clothes, shoes, newspapers, books, etc.)