RoomMend · fact roundup
For families of older adults: where free home safety checks come from, and what to fix while you wait.
Sort what worries you most. Tap an item to send it to the top, or drag it.
Your top worry decides which free help to call first.
Start on your iPhoneFree home safety assessments for seniors usually come from four places: a local fire or EMS department program, your Area Agency on Aging, a home-repair nonprofit, or a therapist home visit after a doctor's referral. None of them is in every town, so the fastest first call is the free Eldercare Locator, which points you to local services by zip code.
Why bother: the CDC says more than one out of four older people falls each year (page reviewed 2026), and emergency departments recorded about 4.5 million visits for older adult falls in 2024. The CDC also says plainly that falls can be prevented.
This is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your clinician.
A free public service of the U.S. Administration for Community Living. Call 1-800-677-1116 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern) or search eldercare.acl.gov by zip code. Ask for your Area Agency on Aging and say the words "home safety" and "home modification".
One phone call, then a local name.
Some departments send someone to your home for free. Austin-Travis County EMS, for example, offers a free room-by-room visit by a licensed paramedic for residents 65+ who live independently, with a medication review and safety equipment. Call your own department's non-emergency line and ask.
Ask the non-emergency line, never 911.
Rebuilding Together affiliates run Safe at Home repairs, such as grab bars, handrails and lighting, aimed at low-income older homeowners. Rules and waitlists are set locally, and you will usually need proof of income.
Assessments that come with the fix.
The National Institute on Aging notes that after a fall, a doctor might suggest an occupational therapist, physical therapist or nurse visit the home to assess safety (NIA, reviewed 2022). Ask the doctor about it at the next appointment.
The most thorough, and it starts with the doctor.
The CDC's free Check for Safety brochure (2017) walks room by room with yes/no questions. It takes one evening and finds the fixes that need no professional at all: a nightlight, tape under a rug, a cleared stair.
You can start before anyone calls you back.
Home fixes are one of four steps, not the whole answer.
It depends on where you live. Common sources are local fire or EMS departments (for example, Austin-Travis County EMS runs free in-home visits by paramedics), Area Agencies on Aging found through the Eldercare Locator, and home-repair nonprofits such as Rebuilding Together affiliates. After a fall, a doctor may suggest a home visit by an occupational therapist, physical therapist or nurse.
Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern) or search eldercare.acl.gov by zip code. Also ask your local fire department's non-emergency line whether it runs a senior home safety or fall prevention program.
We could not confirm a simple yes or no that applies to everyone, so we will not guess. Ask the doctor and your plan directly, especially after a fall, when the doctor may refer an occupational or physical therapist for a home visit.
Mostly trip and fall hazards room by room: rugs, clutter and cords on floors, lighting and handrails on stairs, grab bars and non-slip surfaces in the bathroom, and a lamp and nightlight by the bed. Some programs also review medications and check smoke alarms.
Yes. The CDC's Check for Safety brochure is a free room-by-room checklist designed for older adults and families. A self-check does not replace a professional visit when someone has already fallen, but it finds the easy fixes fast.
No. RoomMend organizes your own notes and plans with guided walkthroughs based on public CDC, National Institute on Aging, NFPA and CPSC guidance. It is not a home inspection, safety certification or fall-risk assessment, and it does not detect hazards in photos.
Assessors spend the first ten minutes asking what you have already noticed. Arrive with a list, photos of the exact spots, and what has already been fixed. That is the part RoomMend does.
A visit goes further when the easy fixes are already done.
If someone has already fallen, the first call is the doctor, not an app. If you need a contractor's opinion on wiring, gas, structure or a ramp, RoomMend will hold the note but cannot replace a qualified professional. And if you want a device that detects falls, this is the wrong tool: RoomMend organizes notes and plans, nothing more. Every walkthrough, the fix list, reminders and room PDFs are free; RoomMend Plus is a one-time purchase for extra homes, more photos and the whole-home binder.
Walk one room tonight. Start on your iPhone with RoomMend from the App Store.
Updated November 2026