Fall-Prevention Home Audit

Entry & garage

☐ Path from car to kitchen — lit, level, no threshold trips
☐ Garage floor — no oil spots, no boxes in walking lane
☐ Door handle at usable height and easy to operate
☐ Level change between garage and house — grabbable rail, non-slip surface
☐ Front porch — railing on both sides of the steps, textured tread edges, motion light

Living room

☐ Area rugs — removed, or firmly taped down with non-slip backing
☐ Furniture arrangement — clear walking lanes 3 feet wide
☐ Sofa height — legs can push off comfortably (add risers if too low)
☐ Cords — nothing across a walking path
☐ Coffee table — not in the direct path from sitting to standing
☐ Lighting — evening light adequate; no dim reading corners
☐ Remote controls reachable without leaning

Kitchen

☐ Daily-use items on shelves at chest height or below
☐ No stool for reaching (if reaching is needed, install lower shelves)
☐ Non-slip mat in front of the sink
☐ Immediate clean-up of spills — the standard rule
☐ Kitchen chairs at usable height for sitting and standing
☐ Sturdy step stool with hand rail (never a rolling chair) if a stool is absolutely needed

Bathroom (highest fall-risk room)

☐ Grab bar next to the toilet (installed into stud, not just drywall)
☐ Grab bar in the shower/tub
☐ Non-slip mat inside the tub or shower
☐ Non-slip bath rug outside the tub
☐ Raised toilet seat or comfort-height toilet (17–19″ from floor)
☐ Shower bench or transfer bench (removes the need to stand throughout the shower)
☐ Bright night light for overnight bathroom trips
☐ Bathroom door handle usable with wet hands
☐ Water temperature limiter set to prevent burns during dizziness

Bedroom

☐ Bed height — feet flat on the floor when sitting on edge
☐ Path to bathroom — clear and lit (motion-activated night light)
☐ Nightstand — items reachable without stretching
☐ Phone reachable from bed
☐ Emergency-response button reachable from bed
☐ No clutter on the floor between bed and door
☐ Bedside commode if bathroom is far or overnight trips are risky

Stairs

☐ Handrail on both sides (interior and exterior)
☐ Handrails run the full length, past the top and bottom stairs
☐ Non-slip stair treads or tape on outdoor stairs
☐ Carpet edges tacked down; no loose runner
☐ Bright lighting at both the top and bottom, with switches at both ends
☐ Contrast strip on the edge of each step (visible for aging eyes)

Medication check

Ask the physician or pharmacist to review the full medication list for drugs that raise fall risk. Common culprits:

Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Ativan, Valium, Klonopin) — sedation, balance impairment
Some sleep aids (Ambien, Lunesta) — sedation, next-morning grogginess
Some blood-pressure meds — orthostatic dizziness on standing
Muscle relaxants (Flexeril, Robaxin) — sedation
Some antidepressants (older tricyclics especially) — dizziness
Combinations of the above — additive risk

Footwear check

☐ No slippers with worn soles (the #1 indoor-fall contributor we see)
☐ No socks-only walking on hard floors
☐ Indoor shoes with a proper sole, laced or velcroed
☐ Outdoor shoes with tread — not flip-flops, not smooth-soled dress shoes

Vision and hearing check

☐ Last eye exam within 12 months
☐ Current glasses prescription still right
☐ Bifocals — teach the wearer to look down through the top of the lens when descending stairs
☐ Hearing aids — worn during the day, ambient sound helps with balance

Assistive device check

☐ The right device for current mobility (cane, walker, rollator, wheelchair)
☐ Correctly sized (handle at wrist height when standing straight, arm relaxed)
☐ Wheels and brakes work
☐ In the room where it is needed (not left in the garage or the closet)

Where our Steady Steps program fits

This checklist is what a family caregiver can walk through in an afternoon. Our Steady Steps program is the same audit done by a Registered Nurse, plus ongoing supervised care that catches the changes families miss. Book the audit before the fall happens, not after.

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