How to Fall-Proof Your Home

September is fall prevention month! So let’s take it back to basics and go through some quick ways you can modify your home to ensure you- and your guests- aren’t likely to take a spill. Nearly all of these tips are actionable items that you can assess and correct today!

First, clear any clutter that’s on the floor. You should have a clear path throughout your entire home. People underestimate this step, but it’s an important one. What seems like an innocent shoe in the hall, or a couple of magazines on the stairwell turns into a dangerous trip-and-fall or slip-and-fall situation. Clutter becomes particularly precarious in low-lighting situations, such as first thing in the morning or later in the evening. Also, most people aren’t looking down at their feet as they walk around, especially in a familiar environment, so items on the floor can pose a big fall hazard for this reason. This does not mean you should get into the habit of looking down at your feet: this habit is highly problematic because it begins shifting your head and upper body forward and down, which affects your center of gravity and throws off your balance. Now back to the clutter: here are some common clutter items to be on the lookout for that can easily become trip hazards: Shoes or clothing on the bedroom floor or entryway area, children’s toys, pet toys, books and magazines. While pets themselves are not clutter, if yours has a habit of lying in the middle of the room or hallway, you could add a bell to their collar so you hear them, thereby making you less likely to trip over them. Also look for electrical cords to be sure they aren’t crossing a room or a walkway area. If this is the case, reroute the cord and attach it along walls where it is out of the way. Stairs are another place that can collect dangerous clutter: get rid of any items left on the stairs.

While we’re on the subject of stairs, let’s chat about handrails. Any set of stairs, whether it’s a flight of stairs or just two steps in from the back door, should have something sturdy to hold onto for support. For a full flight of stairs, you’ll want to make sure you have a full handrail. That handrail should be stable and in good condition. If it’s only a step or two, a simple grab bar will do the trick. The reason why stable hand support is so important is because if you slip, your only defense against a potentially disastrous fall and subsequent injury is a handrail. Without it, you’re at gravity’s mercy. This is why I recommend carrying only what you can in one hand when going up or down stairs, so this way you can use your other hand to hold the railing. As a physical therapist, I have seen way too many serious injuries as a result of a fall on stairs.

Besides on stairs, grab bars can be a great addition in your bathrooms as well. The best place for a grab bar (or two) is on the wall next to your shower, so you can hold onto it as you get in and as you get out of your shower. Don’t make the mistake that many do when it comes to towel rods: these are not made to hold your weight and they are not a safe substitute for a grab bar. Another place to consider installing a grab bar is next to the toilets: ideally a bit forward compared to where you’re sitting, so that way it can help you pull yourself forward and up off the toilet. 

Now that we’re in the bathroom, let’s go through a few more considerations for this area of your home. Non-slip mats are important, both for the inside of your shower as well as on the floor outside of your shower (for safe exiting). A shower chair can also be great for those who either lack the strength and endurance to safely stand in the shower for long periods, or for those who simply don’t like to. Another helpful item if you have a tub to step over is a shower bench. A shower bench is a special bench that has two legs that sit inside the tub and two legs that sit outside the tub. These are useful if you have a hard time stepping in and out of your tub, because with a shower bench you can sit and then swing your legs into (or out of) the bath. Finally, if getting up and down from your low toilet is an issue, you can consider getting a raised toilet seat: this is a removable device that goes right over your current toilet so you don’t have to sit quite so low when you need to go. These also include handles on both sides, so this makes getting on and off your home throne a bit easier as well. A more permanent (albeit more pricey) option is to install a full ADA toilet. 

This next tip is the one that I get the most pushback for: throw rugs. In short, I recommend you get rid of any and all throw rugs. This includes door mats, rugs, and hallway runners alike.  I know, I know- I told you that most people don’t like to hear this one! The fact is that all rugs are trip hazards, plain and simple. Now, if there is a particular rug or floor mat that you are absolutely not parting with, at least take the following into consideration: use strong adhesives to keep it in place, and always ensure the edges and corners lie flat. You can also choose a mat that’s made of a heavy duty rubber material so that it doesn’t move.

Next, let’s talk assistive devices and their locations: Do you use an assistive device to get around, such as a cane or a walker? These are great as they can offer you more support, balance, and help you get around more safely- but they are only of use to you if you keep them where you need them! Before you go to sleep at night, make sure your device is within reach of your bed so that in the morning, you don’t have to walk across the room or across the house to get to it. Also, if your home has multiple levels, you could opt to get a second device, and keep one on each level of your home. This way you don’t have to carry it up and down the stairs. This may not be such a big deal if you just use a simple cane, but it does make a big difference when it comes to walkers, especially rollators, since these don’t usually fold up very easily and are much heavier as well. When you have a device that stays on each level, you want to make sure you leave it near the stairs before you go up or down them, so that way when you return, it’s right there waiting for you.

Ok, just a few more items, starting with shoes. There are specific footwear considerations depending on the type of floors you have in your home. In carpeted areas, there isn’t much to worry about, since whether you’re in socks, shoes, or barefoot, you won’t likely slip on carpet. However, in areas with hard flooring such as wood or tile, you’ll want to ensure you’re wearing either shoes that have non-skid tread on the bottom that are in good condition, or socks that have no-slip rubber grips on the bottom. If you like to wear slippers or house shoes, choose ones that have a hard sole with tread, rather than soft-soled ones that tend to be more flimsy and more likely to slip on hard floors. Regularly checking the soles of all of your shoes in general is a good habit to get into: you’ll want to monitor them for wear and tear, and replace them before the tread gets too worn down, since this can make for a slippery shoe, regardless of whether you're inside or outside your home. 

Last, you’ll want to be sure you take care of any and all spills immediately, since a wet floor is a slippery floor. If kneeling down to the floor to wipe up a spill is challenging for you, you could consider getting a dry mop, so you can take care of spills while staying standing. 

I hope this was helpful and that it encourages you to take a look around your home- and the homes of your loved ones- and address any areas that could be fall hazards. I have a comprehensive list of the tips described in this blog post, 10 Ways to Fall-Proof Your Home, and you can get it sent straight to your inbox for free by clicking here! This is a helpful guide that you can print out and use to easily check off each item as you assess your home for safety.

If you think of someone who could use the information in this post, send it to them! You just may help better someone’s life and you could even prevent a fall.