The throw rug you’ve walked across for 20 years may not look dangerous, and neither does the extension cord beside the recliner or the dim hallway between your bedroom and bathroom. Yet seemingly ordinary household features can become serious hazards as vision, balance, strength, or mobility change with age. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 14 million Americans age 65 and older (about one in four) report falling each year, and falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injury in this age group.
The CDC also reports roughly 4.5 million emergency-department visits for older-adult falls each year, including about 1.4 million hospitalizations, making prevention about far more than avoiding a bruise. Fortunately, falls aren’t an inevitable part of getting older, and a simple home fall prevention walkthrough can uncover hazards you may have stopped noticing because they’ve been part of your house for years. Here are seven things in your home that could raise the risk.
