We tend to think of home as the safest place we can be. And for most of us, most of the time, it is. But for elderly Australians and those living with disability, the home is also one of the most common places where serious slips, trips, and falls occur — and the consequences can be life-changing.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that falls are the leading cause of injury hospitalisation for Australians aged 65 and over, accounting for more than 50% of all injury hospitalisations in that age group [1]. Critically, the majority of these falls happen not on busy streets or in unfamiliar environments — they happen at home, in familiar rooms, on surfaces that are walked every single day.
The most confronting part? Most of them are preventable. At ACE Renovation Group, we carry out home modification assessments and works for elderly Australians, people living with disability, and their families and carers. Time and again, we find the same hazards in the same places. Here’s what to look for — and what to do about it.
1. The Bathroom — The Highest-Risk Room in the House
If there is one room in the home that demands attention when it comes to fall prevention, it’s the bathroom. Wet floors, hard surfaces, confined spaces, and the physical demands of bathing and showering create a combination of risk factors that make the bathroom the most dangerous room for elderly and mobility-impaired individuals.
Common bathroom hazards include:
- Wet, untreated floor tiles that become extremely slippery when wet — most standard bathroom tiles offer very little grip underfoot
- A shower recess with a raised lip or step that must be stepped over, creating a significant trip hazard
- No grab rails near the toilet, shower, or bath — meaning there is nothing to hold when balance is compromised
- A bath that requires climbing in and out — one of the highest-risk movements for elderly people
- Low toilet height that makes sitting and standing difficult without upper body assistance
What ACE Renovation Group can do: Grab rail installation, anti-slip floor treatments, step-free shower conversions, raised toilet seats and accessible toilet modifications, and full accessible bathroom renovations.
2. Wet and Polished Floor Surfaces Throughout the Home
Bathroom tiles are an obvious culprit, but slippery surfaces extend well beyond the bathroom in many Australian homes. Polished timber floors, glazed tiles, vinyl, and even some laminate surfaces can become dangerously slippery — particularly for someone with reduced balance, altered gait, or who wears socks or loose footwear indoors.
Common hazards include:
- Highly polished or glazed tiles in kitchens, living areas, and hallways
- Smooth timber or laminate flooring that offers little grip, particularly in socks
- Loose or curling rugs and mats — one of the most common trip hazards in Australian homes, particularly on hard floor surfaces
- Transitions between flooring types — a slight height difference between carpet and tiles, for example, is enough to catch a foot
What ACE Renovation Group can do: Anti-slip surface treatments for existing floors, removal and securing of loose mats and rugs, threshold levelling between flooring types, and flooring modification advice.
3. Steps and Stairs — Inside and Out
Steps and stairs are among the most common locations for serious falls in and around the home. Both internal staircases and external entry steps carry significant risk, particularly when combined with poor lighting, no handrails, or surfaces that have deteriorated over time.
Common hazards include:
- No handrail, or a handrail on one side only — leaving the person without support on the unassisted side
- Handrails that are loose, damaged, or the wrong height — providing false security rather than genuine support
- Worn, smooth, or slippery step surfaces — particularly on external timber or tiled steps exposed to weather
- Steps with no visual contrast on the edge — making it difficult for people with reduced vision to judge depth and placement
- Uneven rise heights between steps — an inconsistency that disrupts rhythm and increases the chance of misjudging a step
What ACE Renovation Group can do: Handrail installation and upgrades on internal and external stairs, anti-slip step treatments and strips, step edge contrast marking, and where appropriate, ramp installation to replace or supplement external steps.
4. Entry and Exit Points — The Transition Zones
The front door, back door, and any other entry or exit point in the home is a transition zone — a place where the person is moving between surfaces, potentially managing a door, and often carrying something. These moments of divided attention are when falls most commonly occur.
Common hazards include:
- A single step at the front or back door with no handrail — surprisingly common and one of the most frequent causes of entry falls
- Raised door thresholds and lips that catch walking frames, wheelchair wheels, and shuffling feet
- Smooth or worn external paving immediately outside the door that becomes slippery in rain or morning dew
- Poor lighting at entry points, particularly at night or in the early morning
- Screen or security doors that are heavy or difficult to manage while maintaining balance
What ACE Renovation Group can do: Ramp installation at entry and exit points, threshold removal and levelling, anti-slip paving treatments, handrail installation at doors, and entry modification works tailored to individual mobility needs.
5. The Garden and Outdoor Areas
Outdoor areas are often overlooked in home safety assessments, but for elderly people and those living with disability, the garden path, backyard, and outdoor entertaining areas are regularly used spaces that carry significant hazard.
Common hazards include:
- Cracked, uneven, or sunken paving and concrete that creates unpredictable surfaces underfoot
- Mossy, algae-covered, or wet paths — particularly in shaded garden areas that don’t dry out quickly
- Steps from the house to the garden with no handrail or with deteriorated surfaces
- Loose gravel or bark chip paths that shift underfoot and are difficult to navigate with a walking frame or wheelchair
- Overhanging plants and garden growth that narrows pathways and forces awkward movement
What ACE Renovation Group can do: Concrete path installation and resurfacing, anti-slip outdoor surface treatments, garden step handrail installation, ramp installation for level changes in outdoor areas, and general grounds maintenance to keep pathways clear and safe.n for works — whether that’s a full concrete replacement, patching and resurfacing, or targeted treatment of high-risk sections.
6. The Bedroom — Falls Happen Here Too
It might seem like a low-risk environment, but the bedroom — particularly the transition between the bed and the bathroom in the middle of the night — is a common fall location. Reduced alertness, low lighting, and the physical challenge of getting in and out of bed all contribute.
Common hazards include:
- Beds that are too low or too high, making the sit-to-stand movement difficult and unstable
- No support rail near the bed to assist with getting up
- Rugs beside the bed that slide or curl underfoot when getting up in the night
- Poor or no lighting on the path from the bed to the bathroom, forcing navigation in the dark
- Cluttered pathways between the bed, wardrobe, and doorway
What ACE Renovation Group can do: Grab rail and support pole installation near the bed, lighting improvement advice, and bedroom layout modification to reduce hazard.
7. The Kitchen — Underestimated and Overlooked
The kitchen is a working environment — it involves movement, surfaces that get wet and slippery, and the need to reach, bend, and carry. For elderly individuals and those with mobility or balance challenges, the kitchen presents a range of fall and injury risks that are easy to underestimate.
Common hazards include:
- Wet or greasy floor surfaces around the sink, stove, and preparation areas
- Reaching overhead or bending low to access storage — movements that challenge balance
- Smooth, untreated floor tiles that offer little grip when wet
- Loose or poorly positioned mats in front of the sink or stove
What ACE Renovation Group can do: Anti-slip floor treatments, kitchen modification advice, and where required, broader home modification assessments that address the kitchen as part of a whole-home safety review.
A Home Safety Assessment — The Most Important Step You Can Take
Reading through this list, it’s natural to start mentally reviewing your own home — or the home of an elderly parent or family member. The hazards described above are present in the majority of Australian homes to some degree. The question is not whether they exist, but how significant the risk is and what should be done about it.
ACE Renovation Group provides professional home safety assessments for elderly Australians, people living with disability, and their families and carers. We walk through the property room by room, identify the specific hazards present, and provide a clear, prioritised, and practical plan for modifications — from the quick and affordable to the more comprehensive.
Many of the most impactful fall prevention modifications are simpler and more affordable than people expect. A grab rail here, an anti-slip treatment there, a ramp at the front door — these are not major construction projects. They are targeted, thoughtful interventions that make a home genuinely safer for the person living in it.
And for families with a loved one living at home independently, they are often the difference between confidence and constant worry.
Get in touch with ACE Renovation Group today to book a winter safety assessment.
ACE Renovation Group — Commercial & Home Modifications for Aged Care and Disability Providers.
References
[1] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2022). Injuries in Australia: Falls. AIHW. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injury/falls
[2] Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2022). Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings. ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/disability/disability-ageing-and-carers-australia-summary-findings/latest-release
[3] Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2021). Preventing Falls and Harm from Falls in Older People: Best Practice Guidelines. ACSQHC. https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/publications-and-resources/resource-library/preventing-falls-and-harm-falls-older-people-best-practice-guidelines-australian-community-care-2009
[4] National Disability Insurance Agency. (2024). Home Modifications — NDIS Support Catalogue. NDIA. https://www.ndis.gov.au/participants/home-and-living/home-modifications
