Fall prevention at home: a room-by-room checklist for an older parent’s HDB flat

How to use this checklist

Walk through the flat with your parent, ideally in the evening when the light is poor, and follow the route they actually take: bed to bathroom, bathroom to kitchen, chair to front door. Ask where they have tripped or held on to furniture. Fix the easy things the same day, and note the rest.

Everywhere in the flat

• Clear walkways. No wires, shoes, newspapers or boxes on the floor where people walk.
• Remove loose mats and rugs, or fix them down with non-slip backing. Pay attention to the mat outside the bathroom.
• Light switches within reach of the bed and at the entrance to each room. Night lights along the route to the bathroom.
• Mind the steps. Many HDB flats have a small step up into the bathroom or out to the service yard. Mark the edge with contrasting tape, or ask about a ramp.
• Furniture they can lean on, not furniture that moves: stable chairs with armrests, no wheeled stools.
• A phone or SOS button they can reach from the floor, not only from the table.

The bathroom

Wet floors, a step at the door, getting up from the toilet and standing to shower make the bathroom one of the riskiest rooms in the flat.

• Grab bars next to the toilet and in the shower area. Towel rails are not grab bars and will not hold a person’s weight.
• Slip-resistant floor treatment or non-slip mats inside the shower area.
• A shower chair or stool so your parent can sit to wash.
• A raised toilet seat or toilet frame if getting up is hard.
• A light that is easy to switch on at night, or a motion-activated one.
• Leave the door unlocked, or fit a lock that can be opened from outside, so help can get in.

The bedroom

• Bed at the right height: sitting on the edge, feet flat on the floor, knees at about a right angle.
• A lamp or switch reachable from bed, and a night light.
• Glasses, water and a phone on the bedside table.
• Sit for a moment before standing, especially at night. Getting up quickly can cause dizziness.
• A clear path from the bed to the bathroom door.

The kitchen and living room

• Everyday items at waist to shoulder height, so there is no climbing on stools to reach the top cupboard.
• Wipe spills at once. Keep a cloth within reach.
• A sturdy chair in the living room that is easy to get out of, with armrests.
• Cords tucked away from the television, fan and phone charger.

Health checks that reduce falls

• Medicine review. Some medicines, and combinations of them, cause dizziness or drowsiness. Ask the doctor or pharmacist to review everything your parent takes.
• Eyesight. Have glasses checked, and be careful with bifocals on steps.
• Feet and footwear. Well-fitting shoes or slippers with a non-slip sole and a closed back, not loose slippers or socks on tiled floors.
• Blood pressure on standing, if your parent feels light-headed when they get up.
• Strength and balance exercise. Regular exercise that works on leg strength and balance is one of the best-supported ways to reduce falls. Active Ageing Centres and community programmes run classes for seniors.

Grants that help pay for changes

HDB’s Enhancement for Active Seniors (EASE) programme subsidises senior-friendly fittings such as grab bars, slip-resistant treatment for bathroom floors and ramps, for eligible households. The EASE guide explains who qualifies and what it costs. For mobility aids such as walking sticks, wheelchairs and commodes, see the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund.

Plan for the fall that happens anyway

Even a well-prepared flat cannot prevent every fall. For a parent who lives alone, the danger is lying on the floor for hours with nobody knowing. Decide in advance how a fall would be noticed: an SOS button within reach, a daily call with a rule for what happens if there is no answer, or sensors that notice when movement stops. Birdhouse suggests an urgent alert when there has been no movement anywhere for 4 hours during the day, or when someone has been in the bathroom for 45 minutes with no movement elsewhere. Read what to do after a fall.