Home Safety Assessment - Bedroom

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.

1. Presence of clutter
2. Presence of electric cords across the floor
3. Unsafe carpet (uneven, torn, curled up)
4. Presence of throw/scatter rug
5. Height of bed (too low/high)
6. Lack of a telephone near the bed
7. Lack of night light
8. Arrangement that causes difficulty to reach items
9. 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.