Keeping floors free of trip hazards and having good lighting and sturdy objects to hold on to at key points in your home are the main ways to protect yourself from taking a tumble. So work to rid living areas of clutter, and tuck electric cords out of the way. Ditch throw rugs, area rugs, and carpets with curled-up edges or more than ½ inch of pile. Hold remaining rugs in place with nonslip rug pad grippers, typically less than $20 for a 4×6-foot size.
Replacing floors is a big job, but if you have highly polished wood or marble, which can be slippery, it may be worthwhile to look into ceramic or vinyl tile, or carpet that’s no higher than ½ inch. For stairs, carpeting might be best for traction, and nonslip treads (about $40 for a pack of 15) or tape (about $27 for a 4-inch-wide, 15-foot-long roll) can reduce fall risks on wood. (For further stability, staircases should also have handrails, preferably on both sides.)
Throughout your home, check the height of the thresholds—strips of wood, stone, or metal where two rooms connect. These should be no more than ½ inch high at an exterior door and ¼ inch high between interior rooms.
In bathrooms, no-threshold showers or shower pans (also called roll-in or curbless showers) are considered the safest option, and they can look sleek and stylish. Most homes can accommodate them. Another option is a walk-in tub, which averages $12,500 installed. Place nonslip stickers on tub and shower floors.
Being able to sit while showering may also make a fall less likely, so consider a shower bench or chair with nonslip feet ($30 to $40). Space-saving wall-mounted benches come in a variety of materials, including teak (about $150 and up). Grab or grip bars ($30 and up), which you can grasp if you feel unsteady, are bathroom essentials. Bolted-on bars are better than those that attach by suction. “I’m a fan of having them at the entrance, by the toilet, and at the tub/shower,” Catiggay says. A bonus: These now come in attractive finishes such as brass, bronze, and copper.
Good home lighting is vital for preventing falls, too, so illuminate paths to bathrooms for nighttime visits and place light switches at the top and bottom of each staircase. It’s generally wise to amp up lighting throughout the home, with LED bulbs of at least 800 lumens. For ease, consider rocker switches—broad panels you press to turn on and off—and motion-activated lighting (about $10 for two night-lights) or “smart” switches (about $12 each) that can turn lights on with a voice command.
