Helping to Prevent Falls on Stairs With Senior Home Care

 March 13, 2026

If your elderly loved one lives in a multi-floor unit or has outside steps leading to their home, a bad fall could easily be a step away. Taking preventative measures to prevent a disastrous fall is important for keeping your senior safe and reducing the risk of serious injury. Luckily, your elderly loved one doesn’t have to move. Instead, actions can be taken now to be proactive and ensure your loved one’s chances of taking a stumble on some stairs are greatly reduced. 

Why Are Stairs Dangerous For Seniors

Just because your loved one is over a certain age, it’s not always a predetermined fact that they’ll be at a higher risk for falling – especially on stairs. The increased risk of falling is often related to health or cognitive changes in your senior’s body and mind that may increase the risk. 

As a person ages, they are more likely to struggle with certain health issues than their younger counterparts, increasing the risk. Some health changes that can increase the risk of a fall include:

• Less core strength
• Weakened muscles
• Poor vision can make seeing hazards more difficult.
• Cognitive processing issues, such as not being able to measure depth or distance.
• Medication side effects, which can include drowsiness, dizziness, and vertigo.
• Foot problems. For example, diabetics who struggle with peripheral neuropathy may have trouble feeling the ground beneath them. 
• Arthritis

Five Tips for Preventing Falls

1. Increase Lighting. While having an overhead light is a necessity in keeping stair well lit, you might also want to consider adding in lower night lights near the bottom of the wall so that the steps are always gently lit up. 
2. Add traction. Wood and vinyl stairs without any type of traction are especially dangerous for seniors. If your elderly loved one likes to walk around in socks or slippers around the house, start out by making sure they have good traction on the bottom. Then, on the stairs, add anti-slip stair treads to further prevent feet from slipping out from underneath your elderly loved one. 
3. Make sure the steps look different than the floor. If the steps blend into the floor on the next level, your loved one might struggle with remembering when they are on their final step and stumble. When possible, steps should be a different color. 
4. Install handrails. Even just a mini-landing of 2-3 stairs can lead to a fall without a handrail. When possible, make sure there is something sturdy for your loved one to grip when using the stairs. If possible, have one on each side. 
5. Keep the clutter away. Putting items on the steps to be brought upstairs or down can easily trip up someone not paying attention. Keep all of the stairs clear at all times. 

If your loved one has already fallen or has shown a high risk for falls, you might want to consider having someone help them perform tasks that may involve the stairs. A senior home care provider can help your loved one with chores that may send them up and down stairs. For example, a senior home care provider might assist with bringing laundry up a flight of stairs, or you can have a senior home care provider visit on trash pickup day to help with bringing garbage out of the home. Senior home care providers can also provide protection by assisting with keeping stairs picked up and clear, as well as monitoring that lights are working and handrails are secure. 

If you or an aging loved one are considering hiring Senior Home Care in Squirrel Hill, PA, please contact the caring staff at In-Home Quality Care today. Serving the Greater Pittsburgh Area since 1990! Call 412-421-5202