Start With the Movements That Feel Difficult

Think about the moments during the day when you feel least steady or need to reach for furniture, walls, or another person for support. Getting out of bed, standing from a chair, walking to the bathroom, stepping into a shower, getting up from the toilet, and moving across uneven surfaces are all good places to start.

Once you identify the difficult movement, it's much easier to determine what kind of support may help. The solution might be a handhold, a higher sitting surface, a place to sit while completing an activity, or a mobility aid that provides support while walking.

Safer Walking Throughout the Day

When balance, strength, endurance, or confidence while walking has changed, a mobility aid can provide additional support. Canes offer a compact option for people who need some assistance, while walkers provide a larger base of support. Rollators add wheels for easier movement and commonly include hand brakes and a seat for resting.

The appropriate mobility aid depends on your balance, walking ability, strength, environment, and how much support you need. Proper height adjustment is also important so the device can be used comfortably and as intended.

Getting In and Out of Bed

Moving from lying down to sitting and then standing can become challenging when pain, weakness, or reduced mobility makes those transitions harder. Bed rails and bed canes can provide a secure handhold for repositioning, sitting upright, and transferring between the bed and a standing position.

Security poles can provide another source of support beside the bed or elsewhere in the room. Because beds vary considerably, always check mattress thickness, bed-frame construction, available space, and compatibility with adjustable bases before choosing a bedside support.

Bathroom Fall Prevention

Bathrooms present several challenges at once: wet surfaces, limited space, changes in position, and movements such as stepping over a bathtub wall or lowering yourself onto a toilet. Rather than looking for one bathroom safety product, consider each movement separately.

Shower chairs and bath seats provide a place to sit while bathing. Transfer benches can reduce the need to step over a bathtub wall while standing. Raised toilet seats reduce how far you need to lower yourself, while toilet safety frames, grab bars, and security poles can provide additional handholds for sitting, standing, and transferring.

Make Frequently Used Items Easier to Reach

Reaching too far, bending deeply, or climbing onto a stool can introduce unnecessary challenges when balance or mobility is limited. Keep frequently used items within a comfortable reach whenever possible, especially in the bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen.

Simple accessories can help as well. A handheld shower, for example, allows someone using a shower chair to bring the water to them rather than repeatedly standing or reaching. An overbed table can keep frequently used items accessible from a bed or chair.

Look at the Environment, Not Just the Person

Fall prevention also means looking at the space around you. Keep walking paths clear, pay attention to loose rugs and cords, make sure commonly traveled areas are adequately lit, and consider whether furniture placement creates narrow or awkward pathways.

Wet areas deserve particular attention. Bath mats and other products designed to improve traction may be helpful on compatible surfaces, but they need to be properly installed and appropriate for the surface on which they're being used.

Use the Right Support in the Right Place

A nearby towel rack, countertop, piece of furniture, or door handle may be tempting to grab when you need support, but it wasn't necessarily designed to bear your weight. Purpose-built grab bars, safety rails, bed supports, and security poles are designed specifically to provide support when properly selected and installed.

Always follow the manufacturer's installation, compatibility, and weight-capacity requirements. Permanently mounted grab bars should be securely attached to appropriate structural supports.

Think About the Whole Route

Instead of looking at one room in isolation, think about an entire routine. For example: getting out of bed, standing, walking to the bathroom, sitting on the toilet, entering the shower, bathing, and returning to the bedroom. A person may be well supported during one part of that routine but have difficulty during another.

Looking at the complete route can help identify gaps where another handhold, mobility aid, seating surface, or transfer aid could make the routine more manageable.

Choosing Fall Prevention Equipment

There isn't one fall prevention setup that's right for everyone. The appropriate equipment depends on the movements that are difficult, the amount of support needed, the person's mobility, and the layout of the home.

Measurements matter, too. Depending on the product, useful information may include doorway widths, bathroom dimensions, toilet height, bathtub dimensions, mattress thickness, bed construction, ceiling height, and available floor space.

If you're not sure where to start, visit The Bone Store. Tell us which activities or movements are becoming difficult, and our staff can help you compare options for mobility, bathroom safety, bedroom safety, transfers, and other areas of everyday life.