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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 33 percent of American adults who are age 65 and older fall every year. While some of these falls caused no injury, others resulted in harm such as sprains, breaks and brain injuries. The elderly are more prone to falling, but anyone can take an unexpected tumble in their home, especially if they have a disability. Read this informative article and learn about avoiding falls and how you can fall-proof your home.

1. Make Your Outside Steps and Walkways Safer
All steps are notorious for causing falls around the home. A good place to start to fall-proof your home is to inspect all your outside steps and walkways. Are they in good repair? Are wooden steps rickety and unsafe? Are concrete or cement steps in good shape, or are they crumbly and unstable? Are there sturdy handrails along each set of the steps to help you navigate them safely? Are your walkways in good shape? Are your walkways and steps kept clear of items and debris like tree limbs and stones?

If you live in an area of the country that experiences cold winters, you need to keep your outside steps and walkways clear. If your health prohibits you from doing so, you need to hire someone to keep these outside areas free and clear from snow and ice.

2. Make Your Inside Steps and Stairways Safer, Too
To fall-proof your home in order to protect your health, the next place to inspect is indoor steps and stairways. Of course you know the importance of keeping these areas clear from items you can trip over. And, safe stairways have sturdy handrails to help you climb up and down, especially if you have a disability.

But, what about the steps and stairways themselves? Are they slippery wooden steps? Are they covered with slick tile or linoleum? To fall-proof your home, you should invest in non-slid strips and apply them to your steps. You may also consider removing carpet from steps and stairways since this material is normally slippery. Especially long, shag carpet that can get tangled-up in your feet.

3. Fall-Proof Your Home: Throw Rugs
Having throw rugs on the floor can be hazardous to your health because they can cause you to slip or trip. The worst offenders are rugs that are placed on slippery tile or linoleum floors. To help fall-proof your home, remove the throw rugs. Or only use rugs that have a non-slip backing.

4. Keep Your Floors Clean and Clear
Another way you can fall-proof your home and help protect your health, is to keep your floors clean and clear. This means, make sure that anytime anything is spilled, it's cleaned up immediately. Even a small puddle of water on a tile floor can cause you to fall. Remove any electrical cords, telephone cords and other possible hazards that run across your floors.

5. Fall-Proof Your Home: Bathrooms
Bathrooms are another place in your home that commonly contains hazards that can make you slip or fall. To help make your bathrooms fall-proof, especially if have a disability, you should place non-skid rubber mats in your bathtubs or showers. Or, if you choose, you can use non-skid safety strips on the floor of your tubs and showers instead, to protect your health.

You should also install--or hire someone to install--grab bars and/or handrails in your bathtubs and shower stalls. To find the safest bars, make sure they are approved by the ADA (American Disabilities Act).

Sources:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/adultfalls.htm
http://www.nsc.org/resources/issues/fallstop.aspx
http://www.homesafetycouncil.org/programs/pr_safesteps_w002.aspx

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Read more:
For more ways to reduce your risk of falls, see Avoiding Falls: Exercises for Balance.

For tips on modifying your home, see Financing an Accessible Home: How to Remodel and Stay Within Your Budget.