Occupational Therapy Home Safety Assessments: What to Expect

Posted on 10/07/22 by Michael in Peter B. Lewis Aquatic Center

During the home safety assessment, the occupational therapist assesses a person’s needs during daily task performance in his or her own home and then provides the intervention (s) to best support that person to reduce the risk of falling and staying safe in his or her own home.

What to expect from a home safety assessment:

• Evaluation and assessment of your skills, functional abilities and safety in your own environment with additional focus on valued activities, habits and routines.
  • Each area of the home is addressed:
    • Entrance
    • Interior doors, stairs & hallways
    • Bathroom
    • Kitchen
    • Bedroom
    • Living room
    • Dining room

• Identification of problems, barriers and risk factors such as tripping hazards, reduced lighting or balance impairment.
  • Fall risk factors are traits or characteristics of a person that increase the likelihood of a fall occurring. Many risk factors for falling can be changed and improved on, for example, poor balance, mobility problems, poor vision and effects of medications.

• Recommendation of modifications, assistive devices or adaptations to maximize your ability to participate in daily activities and tasks.
  • Examples of recommendations:
    • Stair railings
    • Bathroom grab bars
    • Elevated toilet seat
    • Adapting techniques for task performance
    • Safety instruction
    • Caregiver instruction

• Implementation of interventions and solutions with training.

• Assessment of outcomes and performance.
  • Follow up appointments may be scheduled as needed to ensure proper performance of tasks after equipment has been purchased or installed.

Having a home safety assessment with an occupational therapist is estimated to prevent over 120,000 falls annually and save Medicare and Medicaid 442 million dollars each year (Stevens & Lee, 2018).

References and Resources

American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) (2022). https://aota.org

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022). https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022). https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/patient.html

Rebuilding Together. (n.d.). http://www. rebuildingtogether.org

Stevens, J. A., & Lee, R. (2018). The potential to reduce falls and avert costs by clinically managing fall risk. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 55(3), 290-2997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amerpre.2018.04.035