Falls Prevention Around the Home
Falls are a leading cause of injury in later life, and a substantial proportion of the risk is environmental and inexpensive to reduce.
Lighting
Adequate lighting on stairs, landings and hallways, with switches at both ends of any stairway.
Night lighting on the route between bedroom and bathroom, which is where many falls happen.
Motion-activated lights, which are inexpensive and require no action at the moment of need.
Avoiding glare and sharp contrast changes, which affect depth perception.
Flooring and obstacles
Removing loose rugs or securing them with proper anti-slip backing.
Repairing worn carpet, particularly on stairs, and ensuring stair edges are visible.
Clearing trailing cables, and keeping walkways free of stored items.
Attention to thresholds and level changes, which can be marked with contrasting colour.
Bathrooms
Grab rails properly fixed into structure, not suction devices, which fail.
Non-slip mats inside and outside the bath or shower.
A shower seat, and a raised toilet seat where getting up is difficult.
Level-access showers where a bath has become difficult, which may attract grant funding.
Footwear and clothing
Supportive footwear with a fitted heel indoors. Loose slippers without backs are a significant and frequently overlooked risk.
Trousers and dressing gowns of the right length.
Walking aids used consistently rather than left in another room, which is common and defeats their purpose.
Health factors
Medication review, since several common medicines and combinations affect balance and blood pressure. This is one of the most effective interventions available.
Eyesight testing, since uncorrected vision and unfamiliar new lenses both raise risk. Bifocals and varifocals can affect judgement of stairs.
Strength and balance exercise, which has the strongest evidence of any preventive measure and is available through community programmes in many areas.
Checking for dizziness on standing, which is treatable and frequently unreported.
If a fall happens
Report it to a clinician even if uninjured, since it indicates risk and may have a treatable cause.
Consider a personal alarm, which reduces the consequences of a long wait for help.
General information rather than medical advice.
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