Prevent Falls, Ask Your Doctor About Risk, Add Grab Bars
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says simple actions can help you prevent falling: ask your doctor or health care provider to evaluate your risk for falling and talk with them about specific things you can do, add grab bars inside and outside your tub or shower and next to the toilet, and put railings on both sides of stairs. CDC also says to ask your doctor or pharmacist to review your medicines, both prescription and over-the-counter, to see if any might make you dizzy or sleepy.
CDC says broken hips are one of the most serious fall injuries; it is hard to recover from a hip fracture, and many patients are not able to live on their own afterwards. This article follows CDC's page on preventing falls and hip fractures: what to discuss with your doctor, strength and balance exercises, eye exams, and making your home safer. Everyone's health is different; if you have questions, ask your health care provider.
Talk to your doctor
CDC explains (CDC, Preventing Falls and Hip Fractures):
- Evaluate your risk: Ask your doctor or health care provider to evaluate your risk for falling and talk with them about specific things you can do.
- Review your medicines: Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review your medicines to see if any might make you dizzy or sleepy, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
- Vitamin D: Ask your doctor or health care provider about taking vitamin D supplements.
- Osteoporosis: Get screened for osteoporosis and treated if needed.
Strength and balance
- Exercise: Do exercises that make your legs stronger and improve your balance; CDC gives Tai Chi as an example.
Eye checks
- Once a year: Have your eyes checked by an eye doctor at least once a year and update your eyeglasses if needed.
- Bifocals: If you wear bifocal or progressive lenses, you may want a pair of glasses with only your distance prescription for outdoor activities such as walking; these lenses can sometimes make things seem closer or farther away than they really are.
Make your home safer
- Remove trip hazards: Get rid of things you could trip over.
- Grab bars: Add grab bars inside and outside your tub or shower and next to the toilet.
- Stairs: Put railings on both sides of stairs.
- Lighting: Make sure your home has lots of light by adding more or brighter light bulbs.
For asking a pharmacist how to choose and take over-the-counter medicine, see Ask the Pharmacist First, on Choosing and Using OTC Medicine; for anchoring furniture and TVs to the wall to prevent tip-overs, see Anchor Dressers and TVs to the Wall to Prevent Tip-Overs; if you don't have a regular doctor yet, see Pick a Primary Doctor First, HMOs Usually Need Referrals.
Why prevention matters
The figures CDC lists come from a study of adults 65 and older:
- Hospital stays: Each year there are about 300,000 hip fracture-related hospitalizations due to older adult falls.
- Caused by falls: In 2019, falls caused 83% of hip fracture deaths and 88% of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for hip fractures among adults 65 and older.
- Women: Women experience about 70% of hip fractures treated in the emergency department or hospital.
- Age: The chances of breaking your hip increase as you get older.
What this article did not check
- STEADI brochures: CDC has STEADI brochures for older adults (in English and Spanish); this article did not check their content.
- Insurance coverage: This article did not check whether insurance covers osteoporosis screening or eye exams.
- After a fall: The page does not say what to do after a fall, so this article does not cover it.
FAQ
Can my medicines affect my risk of falling?
CDC says to ask your doctor or pharmacist to review your medicines, including prescription and over-the-counter ones, to see if any might make you dizzy or sleepy.
What can I change at home first?
CDC says to get rid of things you could trip over, add grab bars inside and outside the tub or shower and next to the toilet, put railings on both sides of stairs, and add more or brighter light bulbs.
What kind of exercise helps?
CDC says to do exercises that make your legs stronger and improve your balance; Tai Chi is one example.
What should I watch for when walking in bifocals?
CDC says bifocal or progressive lenses can sometimes make things seem closer or farther away than they really are, and you may want a pair with only your distance prescription for outdoor activities such as walking.
Sources and date checked
All checked on 2026-11-02.
- CDC, Preventing Falls and Hip Fractures (page dated 2026-01-27):https://www.cdc.gov/falls/prevention/index.html