Extension Report

Baldwin County Extension Office

302A Byrne Street

Bay Minette, AL  36507

Amanda Outlaw

Regional Extension Agent, Urban

January 27, 2009

Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Seniors

Each year thousands of older Americans are injured in and around their homes due to falls. Falls are due to hazards that are easy to overlook but easy to fix. The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publishes a checklist about hazards found in each room of your home.

Floors: Look at the Floor in Each Room

When you walk through a room, do you have to walk around furniture? Do you have throw rugs on the floor? Are there papers, books, towels, shoes, magazines, boxes, or other objects on the floor? Do you have to walk over or around wires or cords?

Stairs and Steps: Inside and Outside

Are there objects of the stairs like books and

boxes? Are some steps broken are uneven? Are you missing a light over the stairway? Do you have only one light switch for your stairs at the bottom or at the top? Is the carpet on the steps loose or torn? Do you have handrails on your step or staircase?

Kitchen and Bathrooms:

Are things you use often on high shelves? Is your step stool unsteady? Do you need some support when you get in and out of the tub or shower?

Bedrooms: Look At All Your Bedrooms:

Is the light near the head of the bed hard to reach? Is the path to your bed clear of objects?

Other Things You Can Do to Prevent Falls

Exercise regularly, have your doctor or pharmacists look at all the medicine you take.

Have your vision checked at least once a year. Get up slowly after you sit or lie down.

Being safe in 2009 should be a goal for all of us regardless of age. Not only being safe in our homes, but when we go out in public areas. Women should be alert to people around them while shopping and taking groceries or packages to the car. Never leave your purse in the shopping cart while you unload your purchases. Never carry your social security card with you unless you are going to use it that day. Reduce the size of your purse so that you will not be a target for a purse snatcher. Only carry credit or debit cards that you will use on the day of shopping. When doing passwords for your online accounts try not to use your name or relatives names but use a combination of letters and numbers that only you will know.  In your home keep mail and other personal correspondence out of the view of visitors and relatives. Identity theft can happen with those who are close to us and recovering after your identity has been stolen can be a long process. Be safe in 2009 and have a prosperous and happy new year. For more information of the topics discussed, you may visit the following websites or contact your local Extension Office.

CDC website: www.cdc.gov/injury

Email address: aoutlaw@aces.edu

Phone: 937-7176 or 943-5611, 928-0860, ext. 2222

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M and Auburn Universities) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

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