Improving Home Safety for Older Adults

July 2009

About 7,000 elderly people die each year in the United States because of home-related accidents, and millions more are seriously injured. As scary as these numbers may be, there are in-home adjustments that can be made to prevent these accidents and avoid moving into an assisted living facility.

One option is to hire an occupational therapist (O.T.) to visit your home and make suggestions on how to improve its safety. In certain cases doctors can provide referrals for an O.T. who specializes in home modifications. Many health insurance plans will cover this assessment but not the actual costs of upgrading the home.

If you prefer assessing home hazards independently, the Home Safety Council's website, MySafeHome.net, features a home tour, enabling visitors to identify possible dangers in each room of a house. Also, the AARP, in conjunction with the National Association of Homebuilders, has an interactive home safety checklist.