Preventing Falls in the Home

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Preventing Falls in the Home

• Simple suggestions to prevent accidents and make
  your home safer for you and your family

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Fall Facts

• Approximately 12,000 people die each year as a
  result of falls
• 80 of those receiving a fatal fall injury are
  over the age of 65
• This year, one child in four will suffer a
  preventable injury that is serious enough to
  warrant medical attention

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Injuries from Falls

• Are most likely to occur
• at ground level, not from high places
• after dark
• Often result from failure to
• clean up clutter and spills or
• repair damaged or broken household items

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Risk of falling increases when people are

• Sick, tired, rushed or emotionally upset
• Using alcohol or drugs, whether by prescription
  or not
• Careless

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Fall Prevention Strategies
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Floors
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• Keep floors in good repair. Loose boards,
  slippery throw rugs, frayed carpet and loose
  kitchen tiles can easily be overlooked until they
  cause a fall
• Wipe up spills immediately

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• Use throw rugs heavy enough to lie flat, and tape
  their edges down to keep them from skidding
• Use rugs with nonskid backing in places where
  they cannot be taped down, or simply nail them in
  place

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• Don't stretch electrical cords across rooms
• Never run extension cords underneath a rug or
  carpet. Besides causing falls, they could
  overheat or fray and catch fire
• Never run through the house. You are more likely
  to slip when rushed

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• Arrange furniture so all the members of your
  family can move through the house easily
• Keep floors clear of toys, magazines, or other
  objects that may be cluttering them. Remember
  that children, toys and pets are dangerous
  additions to working areas
• Always use cleaning supplies according to their
  directions

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Stairways
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• Keep stairs and steps well lit and free of
  objects. Good lighting is cheap insurance for
  safety in all traffic areas, especially stairs
• Make sure that light switches are accessible from
  the top and bottom of the stairway
• Fasten any stair coverings securely

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• Provide sturdy handrails
• Take your time when going up or down stairs
• Carry loads that are small enough to not block
  your vision and allow you a free hand

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• Don't use stairways to store boxes, tools,
  equipment or odds and ends, even temporarily
• Use extra care going up or down stairs when
  wearing high heels, house slippers, long dresses
  or robes
• Never use small rugs at the top or bottom of
  stairways

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• For extra caution, paint the top and bottom steps
  white. Or, put white stripes on the front edges
  of steps
• Mix sand with paint for a rough, non-slip surface
  on basement or outdoor steps
• Keep a flashlight handy when using poorly lit
  stairways

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Kitchens
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• Keep others out of the kitchen while cleaning
  hard surface flooring so no one slips and falls
  on a wet floor
• Always use a ladder or step stool when reaching
  for items in cabinets or on shelves. Never use a
  chair or overreach

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• Walk carefully when handling hot food and food
  dishes don't rush
• Store dishes at an appropriate height

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Bathrooms
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• Be cautious around the wet, slippery surfaces,
  which are often seen in bathrooms
• Keep rubber-backed or taped-down rugs on the
  floor
• Use a nonskid mat or self-adhesive nonskid
  appliqués in the bathtub or shower

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• Install grab bars in and out of the bathtub or
  shower. Have a grab bar system installed around
  the toilet for household members with
  disabilities
• When hanging wet clothes, be sure they drip into
  the tub or shower and not onto the floor where
  they could create puddles

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• Install night lights in the bathroom for
  nighttime visitors

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Bedrooms
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• Sleepy people are more likely to trip over
  things. Make sure traffic lanes are free of
  clutter. Install night lights
• Close any drawers or closet doors after use

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Children
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• Install window guards on upper floors of
  multi-story homes
• Never leave a window wide open children have
  fallen out of windows open only five inches
• Don't let children play alone on fire escapes,
  high porches or balconies

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• If your child has a walker, watch him or her
  carefully. Walkers can tip and roll down stairs,
  seriously injuring a child
• Changing tables should have straps to hold the
  child. Never leave a child alone on a changing
  table, even for a moment

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• Use gates at the top and bottom of your stairways
• Old-fashioned accordion stair gates may have
  holes large enough for babies to poke their heads
  through. So, although they won't fall down the
  steps, they may strangle

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Fashion
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• Reduce chances of falling by wearing shoes with
  pliable soles and low heels
• Short garments or pants are safer to wear around
  the house than long dresses or robes

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Miscellaneous
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• Install night lights throughout the house. Some
  plug into a socket, but all are cheap to buy and
  operate
• Arrange furniture so traffic patterns within
  rooms are as straight and wide as possible. Keep
  furniture out of normal traffic areas

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• Close any open drawers, cabinets, doors or
  closets after use and before going to bed
• Use a stepladder or step stool to reach high
  places
• Do not stand on the top step of a stepladder

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End