If your elderly loved one lives in a home or rental unit where there are stairs between the floors that she must use daily, you might worry about those stairs increasing the risk of her falling and that fall resulting in a serious injury. Home care providers can help her safely navigate the stairs and suggest strategies and home modifications for keeping her safe.
Every year, more than one million people injure themselves on stairs, and the risk of having a serious injury from a fall up or down a flight of stairs increases with age. Older individuals are more likely to need emergency care when they stumble on the stairs.
Why Stair Falls are Worse for Seniors
Falling on the stairs can hurt anyone, but for seniors, the risk is greater for two main reasons. The first has to do with their physical abilities. More seniors will fall farther and harder than their younger counterparts because the body isn’t able to react quite as quickly to a sudden and surprising shift in body position.
While younger people can often correct themselves when they miss a step or trip over something, perhaps resulting in a twisted ankle or a hard bump into the railing, an older individual may not be able to react quickly enough to stop themselves from losing all balance and tumbling down a flight of stairs.
The second reason seniors get hurt worse on the stairs is often linked to weakened bones. Those with osteoporosis, and even normal bone loss, can more easily break a bone, a hip, or their spine when they sustain a hard fall down the stairs.
Five Tips to Make Stairs Safe for Your Loved One
- Add lighting. Make sure light reaches all areas of a stairwell, including the corners. Your loved one needs to see where her feet are landing.
- Watch out for wood or vinyl stairs. While they look wonderful, they are often slippery, and if your loved one is just wearing socks around the home, she might fall. Try adding rubber/abrasive stair treads or anti-slip tape strips to give her the traction she needs.
- Add railings. When possible, railings on both sides are best.
- Keep them clean. Don’t let things sit on the stairs waiting to be brought up or down the flight.
- Make sure there is a color difference between the last step and the floor. This will help your loved one see when she is no longer on the stairs.
When Stairs Safety is Compromised
In some older homes, you may not be able to adjust the width of the stairs, increase the lighting by much, or add stair rails on both sides. To keep your senior safe, restricting the use of those stairs as much as possible is the best choice.
Home care agencies can help by having a provider help your loved one use those stairs by providing physical support. A home care provider can also use the stairs to get things that may be hard for your loved one to get otherwise.
Finally, home care providers can help clear the stairs of any debris that may have gathered on them, so if your loved one must use them at some point, they are free from tripping hazards.
Dangerous stairs that cannot be made safe should be part of a serious discussion with your loved one about possibly finding a new location to live so she can stay safe in her home.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Home Care in Chapel Hill, NC, please contact the caring staff at Affordable Family Care.
Serving Raleigh, Greensboro, and the surrounding areas in North Carolina. Call today at (919) 676-1070
Sources:
- Why Personal Grooming Matters for Senior Confidence, Health, and Well-Being - June 9, 2026
- Supporting Senior Nutrition and Well-Being - May 27, 2026
- Helping Seniors Get the Rest They Need - May 8, 2026