Category: Aging Well

⚡ Making Your Home Safer & Easier to Use

Your home should support your independence, not make everyday activities harder or less safe. Small changes can reduce physical strain, prevent falls, and make it easier to cook, bathe, move around, and manage daily routines.

Start with the areas you use most and the tasks that have become difficult.

Begin With a Home Walk-Through

Walk through your home during the day and again at night. Look for:

• Cluttered or narrow pathways
• Loose rugs and electrical cords
• Poor lighting
• Slippery or uneven floors
• Frequently used items that are difficult to reach
• Stairs without secure handrails
• Furniture that is difficult to get into or out of
• Doors, cabinets, or faucets that are hard to operate
• Tasks that require climbing, bending, or reaching overhead

Ask someone you trust to walk through the home with you. Another person may notice problems you’ve become accustomed to working around.

Clear the Walking Paths

Make sure there is enough room to move safely, especially if you use a cane or walker.

• Remove unnecessary furniture.
• Keep cords against walls.
• Move shoes, bags, and other objects out of walkways.
• Secure or remove loose rugs.
• Repair damaged or uneven flooring.
• Keep pathways wide enough for mobility equipment.
• Avoid placing low furniture where it’s difficult to see.

Arrange furniture so you can move through the room without turning sideways or holding onto unstable objects.

Improve the Lighting

Good lighting can make obstacles, steps, and changes in flooring easier to see.

• Use brighter bulbs where appropriate.
• Add lamps to dark areas.
• Place switches near room entrances.
• Use night-lights in bedrooms, bathrooms, and hallways.
• Add lighting at the top and bottom of stairs.
• Keep a flashlight near your bed.
• Reduce glare from windows and shiny surfaces.

Smart bulbs, timers, and motion-activated lights may make lighting easier to control.

Helpful Resources: Browse Lighting & Visibility for products, equipment, services, or supplies related to this section.

Make the Entrance Easier to Use

Check every entrance you regularly use.

Consider:

• Repairing uneven steps or pavement
• Installing secure handrails
• Adding a ramp or no-step entrance
• Improving outdoor lighting
• Adding a bench or shelf for packages
• Using an easier-to-operate lock
• Installing a video doorbell
• Protecting the walkway from ice, leaves, and water
• Making sure the door is wide enough for mobility equipment

A ramp should be properly designed and installed with appropriate handrails and a safe surface.

Improve Stair Safety

• Install secure handrails, preferably on both sides.
• Keep every step clear.
• Repair loose or uneven steps.
• Add nonslip surfaces.
• Make step edges easier to see.
• Install switches at both ends of the staircase.
• Avoid carrying items that prevent you from using the handrail.

If stairs have become consistently difficult, ask about alternatives such as relocating essential activities to one floor or having a professional evaluate a stair lift.

Make the Bathroom Safer

Bathrooms often require some of the most important changes.

Helpful features may include:

• Properly installed grab bars
• Nonslip flooring or strips
• A shower chair or transfer bench
• A handheld showerhead
• A comfort-height toilet or raised toilet seat
• Adequate lighting
• Easy-to-reach towels and toiletries
• Lever-style faucet handles
• A walk-in or roll-in shower

Grab bars should be anchored securely. Towel racks and soap holders aren’t designed to support your weight.

The National Institute on Aging recommends grab bars near toilets and tubs or showers, nonslip surfaces, and nighttime bathroom lighting. (National Institute on Aging)

Helpful Resources: Browse Bathroom Safety for products, equipment, services, or supplies related to this section.

Make the Kitchen Easier to Work In

Arrange your kitchen around the items you use most often.

• Keep everyday dishes and cookware between waist and shoulder height.
• Move heavy items to lower, easy-to-reach shelves.
• Use pull-out shelves or turntables.
• Choose lightweight cookware.
• Keep a sturdy chair nearby for seated tasks.
• Use appliances with large, easy-to-read controls.
• Label switches and containers when helpful.
• Store frequently used foods where you can see them.
• Use a reaching tool instead of climbing.

Avoid using chairs or unstable stools to reach high shelves.

Adjust the Bedroom

• Keep a lamp and phone within reach of the bed.
• Clear the route to the bathroom.
• Use night-lights.
• Choose a bed height that allows your feet to reach the floor.
• Place commonly worn clothing within easy reach.
• Use a sturdy chair when dressing.
• Keep shoes, blankets, and cords out of the walking path.

If getting into or out of bed has become difficult, ask a healthcare professional about safe equipment or positioning strategies.

Choose Easier-to-Use Hardware

Small changes can make doors, drawers, and faucets easier to operate.

Consider replacing:

• Round doorknobs with lever handles
• Small drawer knobs with larger pulls
• Difficult faucets with lever-style controls
• Hard-to-reach switches with remote or smart controls
• Heavy curtains with easier window coverings

These changes can be especially helpful if you have arthritis, weakness, pain, or limited hand movement.

Use Helpful Equipment Safely

Depending on your needs, useful equipment may include:

• Reaching tools
• Long-handled cleaning tools
• Rolling carts
• Jar openers
• Button hooks
• Dressing sticks
• Sock aids
• Raised seating
• Medical alert systems
• Voice-controlled lights or reminders

Choose products that solve a specific problem. Test equipment carefully and ask for professional guidance when improper use could cause a fall or injury.

Ask for a Professional Home Assessment

An occupational therapist can evaluate how you complete everyday activities and recommend changes based on your abilities, routines, and home.

A professional assessment may be helpful if you:

• Have fallen or nearly fallen
• Use a cane, walker, or wheelchair
• Have difficulty bathing, dressing, or cooking
• Become tired during normal activities
• Are returning home after a hospitalization
• Have changes in vision, strength, balance, or memory
• Aren’t sure which modifications would help

Home modifications can improve safety, accessibility, independence, and participation in the community. (Administration for Community Living)

Make Changes in the Right Order

Start with:

1. Immediate dangers
2. Areas used every day
3. Low-cost improvements
4. Tasks that are becoming difficult
5. Larger modifications that require professional planning

Loose railings, poor lighting, damaged flooring, and unsafe bathroom conditions should be addressed promptly. (National Institute on Aging)

Quick Home-Safety Checklist

• Clear walking paths.
• Secure rugs and cords.
• Improve indoor and outdoor lighting.
• Install secure handrails and grab bars.
• Move frequently used items within easy reach.
• Make the bathroom and kitchen easier to use.
• Avoid climbing on chairs or unstable stools.
• Ask for an occupational therapy assessment when needed.

Remember

Making your home easier to use isn’t giving up independence. It’s adapting your surroundings so you can continue managing everyday activities with greater safety, comfort, and confidence.

⚡ What to Do After a Fall

A fall can leave you frightened, disoriented, or unsure what to do next. Try to stay calm and don’t rush to stand up. Moving too quickly could make an injury worse or cause another fall.

Follow these steps to check yourself, get help, and reduce the chance of falling again.

Stay Still for a Moment

Before trying to move:

1. Take a few slow breaths.
2. Notice where you feel pain.
3. Check whether you’re bleeding.
4. Gently move your hands and feet if you can.
5. Pay attention to dizziness, weakness, numbness, or confusion.
6. Think about whether you hit your head, neck, back, or hip.

Don’t attempt to stand until you’ve checked yourself for possible injuries.

Call 911 When You May Be Seriously Injured

Call 911 if:

• You can’t get up
• You have severe pain
• You may have injured your head, neck, back, or hip
• You’re bleeding heavily
• You lost consciousness
• You feel confused or unusually sleepy
• You have new weakness or numbness
• A limb looks bent or out of position
• You have chest pain or difficulty breathing
• You feel too dizzy or unsteady to move safely

If you’re uncertain whether you can get up safely, remain where you are and call for help.

Take Head Injuries Seriously

Contact a healthcare professional promptly if you hit your head, even if you initially feel okay.

Get immediate medical help if you develop:

• A worsening headache
• Vomiting
• Confusion
• Unusual sleepiness
• Difficulty speaking
• Weakness or numbness
• Vision changes
• Loss of consciousness
• Fluid or blood coming from your nose or ears

Head injuries can be especially serious for someone taking a blood thinner. The CDC advises older adults who hit their head during a fall to see a doctor right away. (CDC)

If You Can’t Get Up

Use your phone, medical alert device, smart speaker, or voice assistant to call for help.

If you can’t reach a device:

• Shout for help.
• Bang on the wall or floor.
• Trigger a car alarm with your keys.
• Move toward a phone only if you can do so without worsening an injury.
• Use clothing, a towel, or a blanket to stay warm.
• Change position gently when possible while waiting, unless movement causes pain or you may have injured your head, neck, back, or hip.

Don’t let embarrassment stop you from calling for help.

If You Feel Able to Get Up Safely

Only attempt to get up when:

• You don’t have severe pain
• You don’t feel dizzy or confused
• You can move your arms and legs
• You don’t believe you’re seriously injured
• You have something sturdy nearby for support

Then:

1. Roll onto your side.
2. Rest for a moment.
3. Use your arms to move onto your hands and knees.
4. Crawl slowly toward a sturdy chair or stable piece of furniture.
5. Place both hands on the stable surface.
6. Bring your stronger leg forward and place that foot flat on the floor.
7. Push up slowly using your arms and legs.
8. Turn carefully and sit down.
9. Rest before trying to walk.

Stop and call for help if you develop pain, dizziness, weakness, or difficulty moving.

These steps are consistent with guidance from the National Institute on Aging and the NHS.

If Someone Else Has Fallen

Don’t immediately pull or lift the person.

Instead:

1. Ask whether they’re hurt.
2. Encourage them to remain still while checking for pain.
3. Call 911 if they may be injured or can’t get up.
4. Keep them warm and comfortable.
5. Follow instructions from the emergency dispatcher.
6. If they appear uninjured, let them control their movements while you remain nearby.

Trying to lift someone from the floor can injure both of you.

Check Yourself Again After You’re Up

Once seated safely, check for:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Cuts or bleeding
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Difficulty moving a joint
• Confusion
• A new headache

Adrenaline can temporarily hide pain. Continue monitoring yourself over the next several hours.

Ask someone to stay with you or check on you if you’re concerned.

Tell Your Doctor About the Fall

Tell your healthcare provider about every fall, even if you weren’t seriously injured.

Write down:

• When and where you fell
• What you were doing
• Whether you felt dizzy or weak
• Whether you tripped or slipped
• What shoes you were wearing
• Whether you hit your head
• Any injuries or symptoms
• Any recent medication changes
• Whether you’ve fallen or nearly fallen before

The CDC recommends telling your doctor if you’ve fallen, feel unsteady, or are afraid you may fall. (CDC)

Look for What Caused the Fall

Possible causes include:

• Loose rugs or clutter
• Wet or uneven flooring
• Poor lighting
• Unsafe footwear
• Medication side effects
• Dizziness or low blood pressure
• Changes in vision
• Muscle weakness
• Balance problems
• Incorrect use of a cane or walker
• Rushing or carrying too much

Identifying the cause can help prevent another fall.

Make a Plan Before Another Fall Happens

Keep the following within reach:

• A charged phone
• Emergency contact numbers
• A medical alert device
• A flashlight
• A list of medications

Consider arranging daily check-ins if you live alone. You can also practice getting up from the floor with a physical therapist before an emergency occurs.

Quick After-a-Fall Checklist

• Stay calm and don’t rush to stand.
• Check for pain, bleeding, and possible injuries.
• Call 911 if you’re injured, can’t get up, or feel unsafe.
• Get up slowly only when you believe it’s safe.
• Sit down and check yourself again.
• Tell your doctor about the fall.
• Identify and correct what may have caused it.

Remember

A fall is important health information, even when it doesn’t cause a serious injury. Reporting it and understanding why it happened can help you protect your safety, confidence, and independence.