How to Prevent Falls at Home: Your 2026 UK Safety Checklist

A fall can change a great deal in a moment, from someone's confidence to their independence. The encouraging part is that falls are not simply a fact of getting older. Most happen for reasons that can be reduced, and many of those reasons are things you or a relative can sort out in a short space of time.

Falls are common in later life, but they are not inevitable. Most happen because of a mix of reasons, such as reduced strength, poorer eyesight, medication side effects, dim lighting or trip hazards, and addressing even a few of those reasons lowers the risk. This checklist covers eight practical steps, from staying strong to making the home safer, and what to put in place in case a fall happens anyway. If you are helping an older relative stay safe, our team is happy to talk it through on 01704 332840.

Your Falls Prevention Checklist at a Glance

The first four steps are about the person, the next three are about the home, and the last is about being ready if a fall happens anyway.

• 1. You stay active and work on strength and balance
• 2. You have your eyes and ears tested regularly
• 3. You have reviewed your medicines with a GP or pharmacist
• 4. You wear well-fitting footwear and look after your feet
• 5. You have cleared trip hazards from around the home
• 6. You have lit the home well, especially for night-time
• 7. You have made the stairs and bathroom safer
• 8. You have a plan for if a fall happens anyway

The Checklist in Full

Check 1: Stay active and work on strength and balance

If you do only one thing on this list, make it this one. Strength and balance exercise is the single most effective way to reduce the risk of a fall. The NHS recommends it, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) highlights strength and balance training as a central part of falls prevention, because muscle weakness and unsteady balance are among the most common reasons people fall. It does not have to mean a gym. Walking, dancing and tai chi all help. Keeping the body strong is also helped by eating well, staying hydrated, and following nutrition guidelines to prevent lightheadedness.

Check 2: Have your eyes and ears tested regularly

Good vision is a quiet part of staying upright, and it is easy to overlook. As we age, the eyes become slower to judge contrast and depth, which makes the edge of a step or a kerb harder to see. Regular eye tests catch this, along with conditions such as glaucoma and cataracts, so book a test even if eyesight seems fine. Hearing matters too, because problems with the inner ears can affect balance, so arrange a hearing check if there is any concern.

Check 3: Review your medicines with a GP or pharmacist

Medicines do a lot of good, but some can quietly raise the risk of a fall. Certain medicines, and combinations of them, can cause dizziness, drowsiness or a sudden drop in blood pressure when standing up. NICE recommends a structured medication review for people at risk of falls, so ask a GP or pharmacist to go through everything being taken, especially if there has been any unsteadiness. Never stop a prescribed medicine without clinical advice.

Check 4: Wear well-fitting footwear and look after your feet

Footwear is one of the simplest risk factors to put right. Wear shoes or slippers that fit properly, do not slip off, and have a low heel, thin soles and good grip. Avoid high heels, worn or floppy slippers, and walking around in socks, tights or bare feet, all of which make a slip more likely. Feet themselves matter as well, since pain or numbness can affect balance, so report any foot problems to a clinical professional.

Check 6: Light the home well, especially for night-time

A surprising number of falls happen on the way to the bathroom in the dark. Make sure hallways, landings and stairs are well lit, with light switches easy to reach. For night-time, a night light by the bed or on the landing makes a real difference, and motion-activated lights remove the need to find a switch at all. The aim is for nobody to ever have to cross the house in the dark.

Check 7: Make the stairs and bathroom safer

Stairs and bathrooms are where many of the most serious falls happen, so they are worth particular attention. Stairs should have a secure handrail, ideally one on each side. The bathroom benefits from grab rails by the toilet and beside the bath or shower, and non-slip mats reduce slips on wet floors. An occupational therapist can assess a home and recommend adaptations via a free council care needs assessment.

Check 8: Have a plan for if a fall happens anyway

Even with every step above in place, a fall can still happen, so it is wise to plan for one. The NHS specifically advises wearing a personal alarm or keeping a phone within reach. A monitored personal alarm means that if someone falls and cannot get up, they can press a button, or the alarm's automated telemetry can raise the alert on its own to reach a 24/7 monitoring team within seconds. Review our walkthrough of this response sequence: What Happens When You Press an SOS Button. To understand the underlying sensor metrics, see How Fall Detection Works.

Where to Get Trusted Falls Advice

For clinical, impartial, and expert guidance, these public health resources are highly reliable:

• The NHS Falls Prevention Manual covers exercise paths and safe recovery methods after a balance loss.
• Age UK Falls Prevention Advice provides consumer guides on safety adaptations for families.
• The UK Government Telecare National Action Plan provides modern infrastructure rules for digital upgrades.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where to Start: Pick two or three steps to begin with this week. Strength and balance activity and a clear, well-lit home make a real difference, and a medicines review and an eye test are quick to arrange. Then put a plan in place for if a fall happens anyway. To talk through a personal alarm as part of that plan, call our UK team on 01704 332840.