Home safety checklist: room by room

Most falls happen in the two rooms used most: the bathroom and the bedroom, within a few steps of the bed. Walk the house once with this list, at the time of day the lights are actually on.

Entrance and corridors

• A well-lit path from the door to the bedroom, including at night.
• Loose mats, runners and rugs removed or fixed with non-slip backing.
• Cables and chargers moved off walking paths.
• A chair to sit on while putting on or taking off shoes.
• Grab rail beside the entrance steps if there are any.

Bedroom

• Bed height allows feet to touch the floor when sitting on the edge.
• A lamp or switch within reach of the bed — no getting up in the dark to find the switch.
• Walking frame, stick or walker kept on the same side, always in the same place.
• A clear path from bed to bathroom, unobstructed by furniture or slippers.
• Non-slip mat beside the bed.
• Night light or motion light between bedroom and bathroom.

Bathroom

• Grab bars fitted beside the toilet and inside the shower — tested with real weight, not just screwed into tiles.
• Non-slip mat or anti-slip coating in the shower or bathtub.
• Hand shower with a holder, so one hand is always free.
• Toiletry items within reach without bending or standing on anything.
• Water heater controls marked so hot and cold are obvious.
• A way to call for help that does not depend on a phone in a pocket — a bell, a call light, or a phone left in the bathroom.

Kitchen

• Everyday items moved to waist height; nothing heavy above shoulder height.
• Gas cylinder, lighter and stove turned off after use, checked nightly by someone else.
• Electric kettle and appliances switched off at the wall.
• Stool or chair with a back available for standing tasks.
• Nothing hot carried across a wet floor.

Stairs and steps

• Handrail on both sides where possible, firmly fixed, continuous.
• Non-slip strips on the nosing of each step.
• Step edges marked with light-coloured tape.
• Nothing stored on the stairs or landing.
• Good lighting at both ends, with switches at top and bottom.

Living areas

• Furniture edges at hip height padded where they line up with a walking path.
• Worn carpet or torn flooring repaired, not covered with a loose rug.
• Remote, spectacles, water bottle and reading material kept in fixed places.
• Telephone with large buttons, kept charged, with emergency numbers on speed dial.
• Emergency numbers written on paper near the phone as well as in the phone.

General

• Smoke alarm working; tested monthly.
• Fire extinguisher or blanket in the kitchen, and someone in the house who knows how to use it.
• Oxygen cylinders, if used: kept upright, away from the kitchen and heat sources, never near an open flame, with the supplier’s number visible.
• Wheelchair or walker checked for worn brakes or wheels weekly.
• Emergency contact tree written down and stuck on the fridge: family, neighbour, agency escalation, 112.
• A plan for a power cut: torch in a fixed place, charged phone, backup for any powered medical device.

Review this checklist every three months, and again after any hospital admission, new equipment or change in vision or mobility. If a fall has already happened, look at where it happened first — the cause is usually one line on this list.