Enrichment · Life Skills

Home, made
easier to live in.

Most falls happen at home, and most of the fixes are small: a grab bar, a second stair rail, brighter light on the path, a rug that goes. Walk through the house with this list, mark what is in place and what is needed, and turn the gaps into a costed plan you can share with the family.

Start a walk-throughWhat you get

Room by room

The worked example is made up: a two-story house, a walker, low vision and a fall last month, with nine checks needed and five changes costed. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · Life SkillsFree

What you finish with
A walk-through per home with the layout and what makes moving around harder; 32 checks in six groups (entry, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and halls, stairs, safety), each in place, needed or not applicable; a list of changes with cost, who does them and when. Counts needed checks per room, totals the cost and the changes to do now, and flags a recent fall.
Who it is for
Adult children and relatives helping an older parent stay at home, older adults planning ahead, and caregivers.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per home. Prints the walk-through, a summary of every home or a blank copy to carry room to room; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file to share with family.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Life Skills space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Print a blank copy or take a phone, and walk the home with the person who lives there.
  2. Mark each check in place, needed or not applicable.
  3. Turn the needed checks into changes with a rough cost and who will do them.
  4. Start with the bathroom and anything marked now.
  5. Share the printout or file with the rest of the family.

Start a walk-through

Where to start

A safer bathroom, side view33–36 in.Grab bar, into studsRaised seatHandheld showerGrab bar along the tubTransfer benchNon-slip stripsBars along the tub wall and beside the toilet; a transfer bench lets someone sit to get in.A safer bathroomGrab barsBeside the toilet and along the tub, 33to 36 inches up, anchored into studsRaised seatStand up without pushing off the sinkHandheld shower and benchWash sitting down; slide over the tubedgeNon-slip stripsIn the tub, where most bathroom fallshappenWater at 120°F or lowerSet at the water heater
The bathroom is where most home changes start: small jobs, a big cut in risk.

Ask for an expert look

An occupational therapist can do a home safety evaluation and suggest changes matched to how the person actually moves. A doctor’s referral may help with coverage. After a fall, ask the doctor for a fall-risk check; strength and balance exercise lowers the chance of another.

Help paying for changes

The Eldercare Locator, 1-800-677-1116, connects to the local Area Agency on Aging, which knows home repair and modification programs nearby. Veterans can ask the VA about home adaptation grants. Rural homeowners 62 and older with low incomes may qualify for USDA home repair grants.

Sources

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. STEADI: Check for Safety, a home fall prevention checklist for older adults (cdc.gov/steadi).
  2. National Institute on Aging. Aging in Place: Growing Older at Home and Fall-Proofing Your Home (nia.nih.gov).
  3. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Avoiding Tap Water Scalds: water heaters at 120°F (cpsc.gov).
  4. U.S. Department of Justice. 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design: ramp slope and grab bar height (ada.gov).
  5. Administration for Community Living. Eldercare Locator (eldercare.acl.gov).

The worked example is made up. This checklist does not replace an occupational therapist’s evaluation or a contractor’s judgment; structural work, ramps and electrical changes may need permits. The ADA figures are design standards for public buildings, used here as a practical guide for a home. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.