Keeping your senior safe from falls at your home or theirs starts with keeping them safe from slips and trips. If you have a loved one and have ever wondered how to keep floors safe for the elderly, you are in the right place.

Take the time to check both your home and theirs with your “eyes wide open” for potential floor hazards that could lead to a life-changing fall. Get rid of any rugs, rugs, electrical cords, and mud or sand left on shoes that may be loose on the floor. Remember, the number 1 enemy of the floor of the elderly is the carpets. If you look at the underside of a rug, you may (or may not) find a rubber anti-slip backing that is designed to keep the rug from slipping. But you can’t prevent a rug from bunching up and causing a tripping hazard.

A living room or any large room should have a continuous type of flooring so there are no transitions or thresholds to create a tripping hazard. If you have saddle thresholds between rooms, it would be a good idea to remove/replace them so that the floor transition from one room to another is as smooth as possible, with no humps or bumps. As little as a 1/4-inch change in floor height can cause a trip.

A special note on keeping floors safe for seniors in the bathroom: The bathroom floor is a special surface and needs to have a certain texture so that it remains slip-resistant even when wet. The bathroom is the wettest room in the house. If you have tile in your older child’s bathroom, you can add some non-slip strips to make it less slippery. You can buy rolls of this at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or even Amazon. There are also anti-slip treatments that can be applied to the floor to increase the coefficient of friction (make the floor less slippery). Wet floors are a dangerous slip hazard because it’s hard for your senior to see where wet spots are on the floor.

If you use any type of spray polish or cleaner, be careful about overspray. Overspray of furniture polish can make the floor very slippery. Instead of spraying the polish directly on the furniture, spray it on the polishing cloth and then wipe down the furniture. This will leave your floors clean and dry. As a general rule, clean up spills and spatters right away and keep your floor as dry as possible. While we are on the subject of cleaning, cleaning up is also a very important daily task. Anything loose on the floor can cause a tripping hazard for your senior, including toys, dirt, extension cords, and play pieces. Keep your floor clean and dry and your beloved senior will have a much safer stay in her home or yours.

5-Minute Checklist for Keeping Floors Safe for Seniors

> Walk through yours and theirs with your “Senior Hazard” eyes on
> Keep floors dry and clean
> Scrap the area or throw out the rugs
> Mark sloped or uneven floors with high-visibility paint or tape
> Move electrical wires out of the way to walk
> Be careful when using polishes and cleaners, avoid overspraying the floor