Make Your Home Safer & Easier to Use

Why: NIA advises not using throw rugs or small area rugs, fixing carpets firmly, keeping walking areas tidy and keeping cords near walls. The NHS lists clutter, loose wires and rugs as things to avoid.

Who it applies to: Everyone, especially older adults, people with vision difficulty, and anyone using a walker or cane.

Try instead: Remove the rug or fix it firmly to the floor, use no-slip strips on tile and wood, and route cords along walls.

Why: NIA advises against standing on a chair or table to reach high items and recommends a reach stick or asking for help; if a step stool is used, it should be steady, have a top handrail, and someone should stand beside you.

Who it applies to: Anyone reaching for shelves, curtains, bulbs or smoke alarm batteries.

Try instead: Move items to waist level, use a reach stick, or ask a family member, neighbour or handyperson.

Why: NIA advises against walking on stairs or floors in socks or in shoes and slippers with smooth soles and recommends nonskid, rubber-soled, low-heeled shoes.

Who it applies to: Anyone at home, especially at night and on stairs.

Try instead: Wear supportive footwear with a grip indoors, and keep a pair by the bed.

Why: MedlinePlus says cooking is the main cause of home fires in the United States and cigarettes the leading cause of fire deaths, and advises not leaving the stove or oven unattended and not smoking in bed.

Who it applies to: Everyone who cooks or smokes; higher risk if you are easily distracted, tired, or have memory difficulties.

Try instead: Use a timer, stay in the kitchen while the hob or oven is on, and never smoke when drowsy or in bed.

Why: The NHS lists these as causes of carbon monoxide build-up and advises against using a barbecue or camping stove indoors or in a tent, or leaving vehicles or other engines on in enclosed spaces such as a garage.

Who it applies to: Everyone, particularly during power cuts and cold weather.

Try instead: Keep fuel-burning equipment outdoors and well away from windows and doors, and use only equipment designed for indoor use.

Why: NIA advises not walking on slippery, newly washed floors, cleaning up spills immediately, and using non-skid mats, strips or carpet on surfaces that may get wet.

Who it applies to: Kitchens, bathrooms, entrances in wet weather.

Try instead: Mop in sections and let floors dry before use, wipe spills straight away, and keep non-slip surfaces in wet areas.

Why: NIA lists rushed movement to the bathroom, such as with incontinence, as a fall risk and advises night lights, switches close to the bed and a light left on in the bathroom. If you are tired, NIA says you are more likely to fall.

Who it applies to: Anyone who wakes at night, especially older adults and those who feel urgency.

Try instead: Light the route, and ask a clinician about frequent night-time urination or urgency.

Reduce Sleep Disruption From Nighttime Urination →

Why: NIA advises taking extra caution on wet or icy surfaces, using an ice melt product or sand by doors and walkways, adding non-slip material to outdoor stairs, and considering staying in when the weather is bad, perhaps using delivery services.

Who it applies to: People in cold climates, and anyone with balance difficulty.

Try instead: Clear and treat entrances early, wear shoes with grip, and ask a neighbour or service for deliveries on icy days.

Why: NIA advises holding the handrail even when carrying something, not letting what you carry block your view of the steps, and using a shoulder bag, belt bag or backpack to leave your hands free.

Who it applies to: Laundry, shopping, trays and anything bulky.

Try instead: Make smaller trips, use a bag that leaves your hands free, and keep one hand on the rail.

Why: NIA lists unsafe footwear such as backless shoes or high heels as a falls risk factor and recommends nonskid, rubber-soled, low-heeled shoes. The NHS advises shoes or slippers that fit well and do not slip off.

Who it applies to: Indoor and outdoor use.

Try instead: Choose supportive, closed, well-fitting footwear with a grip, even at home.

Why: NIA says a cane or walker should be the right size for you, wheels should roll smoothly, and borrowed equipment should be checked by a health care provider; a physical or occupational therapist can help you choose and use a device.

Who it applies to: Anyone using a walking aid, particularly in unfamiliar or uneven places.

Try instead: Have a therapist or clinician fit and check the equipment and teach you to use it.

Walk More Comfortably →

Why: The NHS says common household appliances used for heating and cooking can produce carbon monoxide if they are not installed properly, are faulty or are poorly maintained. It also advises against oversized cooking pots that cover more than one gas ring.

Who it applies to: Homes with boilers, gas cookers, gas or paraffin heaters, wood or coal fires.

Try instead: Use a qualified, registered engineer for installation and regular servicing, and fit carbon monoxide alarms.

Why: Even in the Cochrane review, home fall-hazard programmes probably cut the rate of falls by about a quarter overall and by about 38% in people at higher risk. That is a useful reduction, not elimination, and falls have many other causes such as strength, balance, vision and medicines.

Who it applies to: Product marketing and well-meant reassurance.

Try instead: Combine home changes with activity, strength and balance work, eye and hearing checks, and a medicines review.

Improve Your Balance →

Why: The Cochrane review was uncertain whether education to reduce home hazards reduces falls (very low-certainty evidence), and found no reduction in falls when hazard programmes were given to people who had not been selected for risk.

Who it applies to: Generic checklists handed out without assessment or follow-through.

Try instead: Use checklists to start a conversation, then make the actual changes and ask for a personal assessment if you are at higher risk.

Why: Alarms and devices are designed to summon help. NIA and the NHS present them as ways to get help, and we found no trial evidence in the sources read that they prevent falls.

Who it applies to: Advertising for alarms and wearable devices.

Try instead: Treat devices as a safety net alongside, not instead of, the practical home changes and fall-prevention activity.

Why: The NHS advises seeing a GP if you are worried about your balance or mobility or have had a fall, and the Cochrane review found the clearest benefit of home fall-hazard programmes in people at higher risk.

Who it applies to: People who have had near-misses, increasing unsteadiness or difficulty with daily tasks.

Try instead: Act early on near-misses: ask for an assessment, tidy and light the home, and review medicines and eyesight.

Why: The NHS notes that assessments work best when you tell the therapist everything you find difficult, even small things such as opening a cupboard, and that you can have a friend, relative or advocate with you. Changes that do not match how someone actually uses a home are easy to ignore.

Who it applies to: Carers, family members and builders making changes for someone else.

Try instead: Walk through the home together, ask what feels hard, and try changes before committing to larger works.

Why: NIA says fear of falling can lead people to avoid walking, shopping or social activities, but staying active helps to prevent falls.

Who it applies to: People who have fallen or worry about falling.

Try instead: Make the home safer so you can keep moving, and ask about confidence-building activity and support.

Feel More Confident Moving →

Why: The NHS advises both an alarm and properly installed, regularly serviced appliances, with ventilation and clean chimneys and flues. An alarm warns after gas is present; servicing helps prevent it.

Who it applies to: Homes with gas, oil, coal or wood appliances.

Try instead: Do both: fit alarms in the right rooms and book regular servicing by a registered engineer.

Home fall-hazard programmes probably reduce the rate of falls by about 26% overall and about 38% in people at higher risk (Cochrane review); they do not remove the risk. Falls also depend on strength, balance, vision, medicines and health conditions.

The Cochrane review found no reduction in falls when hazard programmes were given to people not selected for fall risk, and a large English trial of therapist assessments in at-risk people found no reduction. An assessment is most useful for those who have fallen, are at higher risk, or find daily tasks hard.

The Cochrane review found no overall reduction, and the VITAL trial found none in generally healthy adults; benefit is possible only in people with low levels, which a clinician can check.

Alarms and wearables are designed to call for help. We did not find trial evidence in the sources read that they prevent falls.

Carbon monoxide is colourless and odourless, and the NHS advises a dedicated carbon monoxide alarm in each room with a fuel-burning appliance, plus regular servicing. Smoke detection is a separate protection recommended by MedlinePlus.