Home Safety Assessment - Bedroom
Posted by MARY LYNCH

From the Department of Rehabilitation Science - University at Buffalo, State University of New York. Portions of the full document are used here as a helpful tool to find issues in your home.
Bedroom
The list identifies all the potential home hazards that may cause a fall.
- Presence of clutter
- Presence of electric cords across the floor
- Unsafe carpet (uneven, torn, curled up)
- Presence of throw/scatter rug
- Height of bed (too low/high)
- Lack of a telephone near the bed
- Lack of night light
- Arrangement that causes difficulty to reach items
- Lack of device to get in/out of bed
Solutions to Problems in the Bedroom
1. Presence of clutter
- Eliminate clutter on floor surfaces by placing items on shelves or storage.
- Consider donating or throwing out the items you no longer use.
2. Presence of electric cords across the floor
- Run your cords behind furnishings. Use extension cords to accomplish this.
- Rearrange items that must be plugged in to areas near an outlet.
3. Unsafe carpet (uneven, torn, curled up, etc.)
- Have carpet stretched or removed to eliminate wrinkles or bumps.
4. Presence of throw/scatter rug
- Remove all scatter and throw rugs or use a double sided rug tape or a rug pad to secure the rug to floor.
5. Height of bed (too high or low)
- Too low (your knees are above the hips when sitting at the edge of the bed): Use bed risers below bed legs to raise height.
- Too high (your legs do not touch the floor when sitting at the edge of the bed): Remove bed frame or use a lower profile mattress or box spring.
6. Lack of a telephone near the bed
- Place a cordless type or cell phone next to your bed at night or during naps.
- Use a remote control for TV and VCR.
7. Lack of a night light
- Place at least two night lights in the bedroom to illuminate the room at night.
- Add additional night lights along the hall or path to the bathroom.
- Also add one night light in the bathroom.
8. Arrangement that causes difficulty to reach commonly used items such as a TV remote, medications, lamp, glasses, magnifier, etc. at night
- Place these items on your bedside table. If you don’t have a table, you may put a rolling cart or shelving unit next to the bed.
9. Lack of a device to help get in and out the bed
- Purchase a half bedrail or a bed cane that can slide between mattress and box spring.
Get an in-home safety assessment
Contact us for more information and an estimate to have Aging Graceful at Home perform an in-home safety assessment for you.