One Part of Fall Prevention Starts at Home
A closer look at everyday home barriers during Falls Prevention Awareness Month
September is Falls Prevention Awareness Month, a national opportunity to help older adults, families, caregivers, healthcare providers, organizations, and communities think more intentionally about reducing fall risk.
Source: Administration for Community Living, Falls Prevention Awareness Month
The message is important because falls are not simply something we have to accept as part of getting older. Many falls can be prevented, and prevention often begins by recognizing the different factors that can affect balance, movement, and safety in everyday life.
Source: Administration for Community Living, Falls Prevention Awareness Month
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Facts About Falls
But fall prevention is much bigger than the home.
Physical activity that supports strength and balance matters. Healthcare conversations matter. Medication side effects, vision, hydration, footwear, and access to evidence based falls prevention programs can all be part of the picture.
Source: Administration for Community Living, Falls Prevention Awareness Month
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Facts About Falls
The home environment matters too.
And that is the part BIGHOME Ready wants to look at more closely.
Fall prevention is a bigger picture
There is rarely one single reason a person falls.
The CDC notes that falls are often connected to a combination of risk factors, including changes in strength and balance, medications, vision problems, footwear, and hazards in the home. The more factors that overlap, the greater the risk can become.
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Facts About Older Adult Falls
That is why fall prevention may involve several kinds of action.
It may mean having vision checked, participating in a community falls prevention program, or sharing falls prevention information with family members.
Source: Administration for Community Living, Falls Prevention Awareness Month
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Facts About Falls
And sometimes, it means looking more carefully at the place where many daily routines happen.
Home.
BIGHOME Ready focuses on one small but important part of this larger picture: the home environment and the everyday routines that happen within it.
We are not trying to replace healthcare, exercise programs, occupational therapy, or other professional support.
Instead, we want to help families become better observers of the home they already know.
Because before deciding what needs to change, it helps to understand what is actually happening.
“Make your home safer.” But where do you begin?
One of the practical recommendations shared during Falls Prevention Awareness Month is simple:
Make your home safer.
ACL encourages older adults and families to look at tripping hazards, lighting, and other home conditions as one part of a broader fall prevention approach.
Source: Administration for Community Living, Falls Prevention Awareness Month
That sounds straightforward.
But when you have lived in the same home for years, it can be surprisingly difficult to notice what may need attention.
The hallway looks normal.
The bathroom is familiar.
You have crossed the same threshold hundreds of times.
You know where every stair is.
And yet the way we move through those spaces can change.
A step that never required much thought may begin to need more concentration. A dark hallway may become harder to read at night. Carrying laundry may make it more difficult to see what is underfoot. Getting up from the toilet, adjusting clothing, turning, and walking back to bed may feel different than they once did.
This is where BIGHOME Ready begins.
Not with a product.
Not with a remodeling list.
But with observation.
Look. Notice. Understand. Then plan.
Notice the route
Start with movement rather than individual rooms.
Where do you walk every day?
From the bedroom to the bathroom.
From the kitchen to the garage.
From the front door to the car.
From the laundry area to the bedroom.
From one floor of the home to another.
A route may be very familiar, but the body still depends on clear walking space, predictable surfaces, visibility, and enough room to turn or carry something comfortably.
In GUIDE 01, we look at ordinary walking paths where loose objects, raised carpet edges, smooth flooring, small level changes, or narrow turning points can interrupt movement.
The important question is not simply:
“Is this hallway safe?”
A more useful question might be:
What does my body have to do along this route?
That small change in perspective can reveal much more.
Notice transitions
Some of the easiest places to overlook are the places where one surface becomes another.
A doorway threshold.
A small step between rooms.
The edge of a rug.
The transition from dry flooring to a wet bathroom surface.
The first or last stair.
These changes may be only a small part of the home, but they require the body to recognize a difference, adjust the foot, shift weight, and continue moving.
Sometimes the change is easy to see.
Sometimes it is not.
GUIDE 01 shows how even familiar floor transitions can become less predictable when step edges, thresholds, or surface changes are difficult to recognize.
The goal is not to treat every threshold as a problem.
It is to begin noticing where movement requires an extra adjustment.
Notice visibility
Seeing a space is not the same as clearly reading it.
Lighting, contrast, shadows, glare, and changing light conditions can affect how easily we recognize the edge of a step or understand where one surface ends and another begins.
This becomes especially important at night.
Consider a trip from the bedroom to the bathroom.
It may be only a few steps, but the routine can include getting out of bed, walking in low light, opening a door, turning, sitting, standing, adjusting clothing, and returning to bed.
GUIDE 01 treats nighttime toileting as a sequence of movements rather than one simple task.
That distinction matters.
The question is not only whether there is a light in the hallway.
It is whether the entire route can be understood and navigated when someone is tired, moving in low light, and performing several actions in a short period of time.
Notice divided attention
Many daily activities ask us to do more than walk.
We carry groceries while opening the door.
We hold laundry while moving through a hallway.
We reach for a towel while stepping out of the shower.
We look for keys while approaching the entrance.
We adjust clothing while standing.
When our attention is divided, we may not be looking directly at the floor or thinking consciously about balance.
This is why observing the activity can sometimes tell us more than simply inspecting the room.
A floor that seems perfectly manageable while standing still may feel different when someone is carrying a basket, turning around furniture, reaching for something, or trying to complete several actions at once.
Instead of asking only:
“What is in this space?”
Try asking:
What am I usually doing while I move through this space?
Notice changing behavior
Sometimes the earliest signal is not the home itself.
It is the way someone begins to use it.
Perhaps a hand reaches toward the wall when stepping through a doorway.
Perhaps someone pauses before stepping down.
Maybe an older adult begins avoiding one staircase, leaving lights on more often, sitting down to dress, or choosing a different route through the home.
These behaviors do not automatically mean that a major home modification is needed.
But they are worth noticing.
They may tell us that a familiar routine is beginning to require more effort, more attention, or more support than before.
And that is useful information.
Small observations can lead to meaningful changes
Many home difficulties do not come from one single hazard.
They can build gradually when daily routines, changing needs, and home conditions no longer work well together with the body.
For example, changes in balance, strength, reach, vision, or confidence may make a familiar task feel different. At the same time, lighting, thresholds, storage locations, floor surfaces, or room layout may not support the routine as well as they once did.
This is why BIGHOME Ready looks at the relationship between the person, the routine, and the home before jumping to a solution.
Not every observation leads to remodeling.
Sometimes what helps is much simpler.
A walking route can be cleared.
Frequently used items can be moved to easier storage locations.
Lighting can be reconsidered.
A loose rug can be addressed.
A routine can be changed so that fewer things need to be carried at once.
A place to sit or pause may make an activity easier.
And sometimes observation tells us something different: that the concern may involve balance, vision, medication, strength, or another health factor that should be discussed with an appropriate professional.
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Facts About Older Adult Falls
That is why noticing comes before deciding.
Small observations can lead to meaningful changes.
They give families information.
And better information can make it easier to decide what should happen next.
Home readiness is one part of fall prevention
During Falls Prevention Awareness Month, it is helpful to look at the home.
But it is equally important to remember the larger picture.
Fall prevention may include physical activity, strength and balance, healthcare conversations, medication review, vision care, community programs, family support, professional guidance, and changes to the home environment. Both ACL and CDC present fall prevention as a combination of strategies that can address different risk factors.
Source: Administration for Community Living, Falls Prevention Awareness Month
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC Facts About Falls
BIGHOME Ready works within one part of that picture.
We help older adults and families notice home barriers earlier and understand how everyday routines interact with the spaces around them.
Not every home needs the same solution.
Not every small inconvenience is an immediate danger.
But paying attention earlier can give families more time to understand what is changing and more clarity about what may help.
Start by taking a closer look at the home you already know.
GUIDE 01: See Home Risks Early
See everyday home barriers through daily activities, familiar routes, and ordinary routines.
Look. Notice. Understand. Then plan.
Explore the Free Guide Series
Download Guide 01 and the other free BIGHOME Ready starter guides here.
Sources & Further Reading:
Administration for Community Living, Falls Prevention Awareness Month
ACL’s 2026 campaign explains that many falls can be prevented and highlights physical activity, medication review, vision, home safety, community programs, and other practical strategies.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Facts About Falls
CDC identifies walking and balance difficulties, medications, vision, footwear, and home hazards among common fall risk factors and notes that falls often involve a combination of factors.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Falls and Hip Fractures
CDC recommends strength and balance activity, medication review, vision care, and steps to make the home safer as parts of fall prevention.
Prepare your home to grow with you.
BIGHOME Ready is a home readiness resource hub helping 50+ homeowners and families prepare safer, easier, more adaptable homes before daily routines become harder.
Educational note: BIGHOME Ready provides educational information only. It does not replace professional medical, occupational therapy, architectural, engineering, or licensed contractor advice. Individual needs and home conditions vary. Always consult qualified professionals before making home modifications, accessibility improvements, or construction decisions.
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