How can I make my elderly parent's home safer?

Start with lighting on stairs and the route to the bathroom, remove or fix loose mats, keep walkways clear, fit grab bars near the toilet and bathing area, use non-slip mats on wet floors, and keep a phone and torch by the bed. Our room-by-room checklist covers each area.

Which room is most important for fall prevention?

Focus first on the routes used every day, especially bed to bathroom at night. Bathrooms with wet floors deserve particular attention: grab bars, non-slip surfaces and a night light are among the US National Institute on Aging's recommendations.

Does completing a home safety checklist mean the home is safe?

No. A checklist covers common, general hazards. It isn't a professional assessment and can't account for a person's own health and mobility. If someone has fallen or is worried about falling, ask their doctor about an assessment.

A Room-by-Room Home Safety Checklist for Older Adults

Most changes that make a home safer for an older person are small and cheap: brighter lights, fewer loose mats, something to hold on to in the bathroom. A slow walk through the home, room by room and ideally with the person who lives there, is the best way to find them.

Use our interactive home safety checklist to tick items off as you go and print the result. This guide explains the reasoning behind each section.

Why falls deserve attention

According to the World Health Organization (opens in a new tab), falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide. An estimated 684,000 people die from falls each year, and adults over 60 suffer the greatest number of fatal falls. WHO lists home modifications among the prevention approaches for older people, alongside strength and balance training.

That isn't a reason for alarm. It is a reason to take simple precautions seriously, especially after a fall, a hospital stay, or a change in eyesight or medicines.

Before you start

Do it together. It's their home. Ask what they find awkward, such as a high step, a dark corridor or a slippery corner, before pointing things out.
Go at different times of day. A corridor that is fine at noon can be dark at 9 pm, especially during a power cut.
Note, then prioritise. You don't need to fix everything at once. Start with whatever is on the routes used every day: bed to bathroom, and the main door to the kitchen.

Floors, stairs and walkways

NIA's room-by-room guidance (opens in a new tab) recommends secure handrails on both sides of stairs, good lighting with switches at the top and bottom of stairs and at each end of long halls, clutter-free walkways, and carpets fixed firmly so they won't slip. NIA advises against throw rugs and small area rugs, and against walking on slippery, newly washed floors.

In many Indian homes, floors are mopped daily and often by someone other than the older person. A simple household rule helps: mop when your parent is resting or out, and keep them off the floor until it's dry.

Bathroom

NIA recommends grab bars near the toilet and in the bathing area, non-skid mats or strips on surfaces that get wet, and a light left on (or a night light) for night-time visits.

Bathrooms with a wet floor area are common in India, which makes non-slip surfaces especially worth checking. If squatting or getting up from a low seat is difficult, a raised toilet seat, a commode chair or a sturdy bath stool may help. Which one suits depends on the person, and a therapist can advise. It is also worth making sure the bathroom door can be opened from outside in an emergency.

Bedroom

NIA suggests night lights and light switches close to the bed, a torch by the bed in case of a power cut, and a landline or charged phone within reach. A bed that is a comfortable height to sit on and stand up from also matters, though there is no single right height.

Kitchen

From NIA's guidance: keep everyday pots and utensils within easy reach, clean spills immediately, and consider preparing food while seated if standing for long is tiring. We'd also suggest checking that the gas regulator is easy to reach and turn off. That's our practical suggestion, not part of NIA's list.

Living areas

NIA recommends keeping cords near walls and away from walking paths, arranging furniture (especially low tables) so it isn't in the way, choosing chairs and sofas that are easy to get in and out of, and keeping often-used items at waist level. It advises against standing on a chair or table to reach high shelves: use a reach stick, a steady step stool with a handrail, or ask for help. It also suggests knowing where pets are when walking.

Entrance, balcony and outdoors

NIA suggests making sure entrance steps aren't broken or uneven, adding non-slip material to outdoor stairs, keeping paths clear, lighting the entrance at night, and fitting a grab bar near the door for balance while locking and unlocking. In Bengaluru, balconies and entrance steps that get wet in the monsoon are worth a particular look.

Getting help

NIA recommends keeping emergency numbers in large print near the phone and saved as favourites on a mobile. In India, 112 is the national emergency number. Our emergency information sheet puts the key contacts and details on one page.

It also helps to:

Ask a neighbour whether they're willing to be contacted in an emergency.
Leave a spare key with someone trusted, so help can get in.
Talk about what your parent would do if they fell and couldn't get up: carrying a phone around the house is one simple option NIA mentions.

After the walk-through

Look at what's left unticked and agree on two or three changes to make first. Then revisit the list every few months, or after any change in health, eyesight, mobility or medicines. Completing the checklist doesn't guarantee safety. The point is to keep paying attention.