Inside the House

These simple fixes inside your home can help you continue preventing slips, trips and falls at home:

• Improve Your Lighting.  Installing brighter lights and night lights in hallways and bathrooms can make a huge difference when it comes to your safety.  Dim lighting in high traffic areas and inadequate lighting at night opens the door to harmful falls.  Make sure you use bulbs with the highest wattage recommended for lamps and light fixtures.

• Rearrange Furniture.  While your space may benefit from some new Feng Shui, it's more important to rearrange furniture to ensure that you have a clear path to walk freely.  This also means creating clutter-free zones on stairways, hallways, and high-traffic pathways.

•     Use Non-Slip Strips.  These easy to install strips can be found at a local hardware store and are great for the stairs, the bathroom, and the kitchen.  If you'd prefer not to put the strips in the bathroom and kitchen, you can also use rubber mats in areas that typically get wet to help you maintain your balance.

•  Add Safety Rails for Stability.  Handrails on stairs, grab bars in the shower or tub and near the toilet can help you to avoid falls as well.  You can use them to help you securely balance when you are in higher risk areas of the house.

Outside the House

•    Improve Your Lighting.  Similar to the suggested change for inside the house, providing good lighting along clear pathways and walking areas can end up being a life saver.

•   Invest in Solid Footwear.  You should avoid shoes or boots that have smooth soles or high heels.

Whether inside or outside the house, we also recommend paying close attention to where you are placing your feet when you are walking.  Distractions such as smart phones and conversations with friends can be enough to cause a tumble.  

Author, Hilary Young is the Communications Manager for Medical Guardian.  She helps to keep baby boomers and their loved ones educated about their health and wellbeing.  She is also a regular contributor to the Medical Guardian Blog, the Huffington Post, and BlogHer.com.