Home Safety for Older Adults: A Comprehensive Guide 2024Home Safety for Older Adults: A Comprehensive Guide 2024

A guide on home safety for older adults, with a printable checklist to help assess your home for risks.

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As we age, our homes should continue to be a place where we feel safe, secure, and comfortable. But research shows the exact opposite is sometimes true. A 2014 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found 28.7% of adults over the age of 65 reported falling at least once in the last 12 months.1 Another study by the Hospital for Special Surgery found 60% of falls happen in the home.2 To help prevent falls and other accidents, you can make safety modifications to your environment and eliminate common hazards.

 

Our Reviews Team assembled this guide and checklist highlighting home safety tips and helpful devices to ensure your home, or your loved one’s home, continues to be a safe environment for aging in place.

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Help in an emergency

Having tools and processes in place to get help in an emergency and minimize damage from falls, accidents, or other dangers is vital. The systems and processes below can help ensure you get the help you need when you need it—with no time wasted.

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Home security system

The first emergency tool you can use is a general home security system. A special report released by the U.S. Department of Justice showed about 93% of all crime experienced by adults 65 and older was property crime, which includes general theft, burglary, and car theft.3 Using even a small system that alerts you when certain home barriers are breached or if someone is near an entryway of the home can help you be more alert and reach out for help if it’s needed.

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Choosing a system with a camera and speaker system can allow you to preview people at the door from wherever you are in the home, so you can speak to them if necessary. This can help you determine whether it’s even necessary to answer the door, as well as allow you to inform visitors it will take you a few minutes to get to the door. You can take your time instead, so you don’t increase your fall risk by rushing.

 

Medical alert system

Useful for getting help in an emergency, medical alert devices often include a wearable help button, which, in the event of a fall or another emergency, the wearer can push to connect with a 24/7 monitoring center. Research shows a medical alert device can help give users a stronger sense of security and independence and can bring peace of mind, even for people not at high risk of falling.4

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Emergency phone tree

You’ll want to establish a process for alerting family members and caregivers if there’s an accident or if help is needed. An emergency phone tree, which specifies which caregivers and family/friends to contact in an emergency and in what order, can help alert others of an emergency and get the help you need quickly.

 

With some medical alert systems, you can set friends and family as emergency contacts. For example, when you push the button you can customize the alert to summon the operator as well as your first emergency contact. This can streamline your emergency phone tree and ensure your caregivers are the first people aware of an emergency.

 

Tip list:

• Create an emergency phone tree

• Consider purchasing a medical alert system if you or someone you care for are concerned about falls risks

• Home security systems can help prevent theft and allow you to communicate better with visitors

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Interior home safety

When assessing the safety of the inside of the home, it might be easiest to go through each room, taking notes as you go, to spot potential hazards and make changes as needed. Be sure to use the tips below and our printable checklist.

General considerations for home safety

First, we will discuss general safety considerations that should be applied throughout the home and then move through measures that are room-specific.

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As a general rule, keep a list of emergency phone numbers in an accessible place, preferably near a phone or stored in your cellphone. Consider prioritizing contacts who live close to you, so if there’s an emergency, they can reach you promptly.

 

Lighting

Increasing the lighting in your home doesn’t need to be an expensive fix requiring an electrician or rewiring your home.

First, consider replacing current bulbs with LED lightbulbs with higher brightness in areas or rooms that need more lighting. These bulbs will also last longer, so you won’t need to change them as often. If you’re easily bothered by bright lights, you may want to install dimmer light switches, so you can adjust the brightness according to your needs. “Dimmer switches are an excellent suggestion for folks that have cataracts, too,” noted Christopher Norman, a geriatric nurse practitioner in New York State. “While fluorescent lighting is often the worst for people with cataracts, bright LED lighting can sometimes create discomfort, too.”

 

If you’re looking to add lighting in places not currently wired for traditional light bulbs, consider purchasing LED light strips to plug into existing outlets. They can easily illuminate walkways and give extra lighting under cabinets in the kitchen or bathroom. Our Reviews Team found LED light strips for as little as $15 from Home Depot.

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You might also want to consider adding motion-detection lights. These lights are great for interior and exterior use and are perfect if you don’t want to worry about using switches or remotes to light up the room. Using motion-detection night lights in hallways can make trips to the bathroom easier at night, so you won’t stumble looking for the light switch. “Light-sensor nightlights that can plug into outlets are helpful, too—they come on automatically when light dims below a certain point, illuminating hallways better,” added Norman. We also found motion-detection lights at Home Depot starting at $14.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON AGING, CLICK HERE