There are numerous risk factors present within your home that can make you more prone to tripping, and falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults. When it comes to avoiding trips and falls at home, prevention is essential. By reducing your risk and identifying tripping hazards in your home, you will be able to prevent injuries and maintain an active and independent life, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To assist you in avoiding trips, we’ve got 10 helpful tips to help you identify your tripping risks:
10 Tips to Identify Risks
- Position your furniture and houseplants to allow for open and clutter-free walkways. Remove any electrical or telephone cords that are in your walkway.
- Remove throw rugs and thick or worn carpeting, as shoes may catch on these and cause you to trip.
- Make sure have good lighting in high-traffic areas of your home such as hallways, the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms as well as no outdoor walkways. Consider light- and motion-sensor fixtures that can turn the lights on even if there’s not a switch nearby so you can always see where you’re going.
- Use nightlights or leave the bathroom light on to help you see at night.
- Maintain clutter-free, well-lit stairways with strong handrails for both indoor and outdoor staircases. Take care to pay attention when using stairways, and ensure that your foot completely clears each step when going up and down the stairs.
- Do not wear long clothing such as nightgowns or robes, as your feet can get tangled in these longer garments and cause you to trip.
- Wear well-fitting shoes and slippers with rubber soles, as trips can occur from wearing loose footwear that can cause you to shuffle your feet.
- Occasionally, check the condition of your outdoor walkways and steps and repair as needed. Remove fallen leaves, ice, or snow from your outdoor walkways.
- Trips can occur when rushing to answer the door or telephone. Make sure that you are walking at a speed that is safe and don’t rush unnecessarily. Learn more: how to recover from a fall safely.
- It is important to always be mindful of where your pets are when you are moving around, or to get them a collar with bells that will let you know when they’re nearby. Pets can occasionally get underfoot and cause you to trip. Learn more: benefits of pets for seniors.
Keeping your home free from common tripping risks will help you in avoiding trips and falls, and these tips are helpful for people of any age to reduce accidents and injuries at home. Click here to download our ebook on how to create a safer home.
