Preferred Care at Home serves families from Sussex County to Warren County, where a fall often starts outside the front door. Home is where memories have been made, and are still being created. It's also where the hazards hide: an icy driveway, steep stairs in an older house, and a dark path to the bathroom.
This is a fall prevention audit you can run in one afternoon. Do it with your loved one, not for them, so every change feels like their choice. No checklist will prevent falls entirely, but it clears the hazards you can see and starts an honest talk about the ones you can't.
Why Falls Deserve an Afternoon This Month
More than one out of four older people fall each year, according to the CDC. Less than half of them tell their doctor. That silence is why we'd start with the house and the daily habits instead of waiting for an injury to make the case.
The calendar helps, too. The National Council on Aging marks Falls Prevention Awareness Week on Sept. 21 to 25, 2026. That lands just as Northwest New Jersey turns toward the icy months, when the risk of falls climbs for older adults.
About 37% of older adults who fall report an injury that needed medical treatment or kept them from normal activity for at least a day, per the CDC.
Start at the Driveway, Before the First Ice
Harsh winters and hilly ground shape daily life in Sussex and Warren counties, so the audit begins on the walk from the car to the door. Go on a dry afternoon, while you can still fix what you find.
- A handrail on each side of the front steps, running their full length
- A light and a switch at the top and bottom of those steps
- Ice melt and a scoop kept just inside the door, not out in the garage
- Level footing on the path, with loose pavers or heaved concrete fixed before the ground freezes
The first two come from the CDC's home checklist, which treats outdoor steps the same as indoor ones. Lake houses near Lake Hopatcong need the same check, even if your parent only stays there part of the year.
If your parent still walks a long, sloped driveway to the mailbox in January, we'd rather someone else took that trip. And if you only visit at Thanksgiving, do this part now, not on a holiday morning when the steps are already slick.
Stairs in Older Homes Get the Hardest Look
The CDC's Check for Safety checklist wants handrails on both sides of the stairs, as long as the stairs themselves. That matters most in the older homes with stairs on this region's hilly terrain, where steep stairs can lead to a second-floor bedroom or a basement laundry.
Walk the stairs in this order:
- Flip the lights. There should be a light and a switch at both the top and the bottom.
- Shake each handrail. Tighten loose ones, and add a second rail where there's only one.
- Step on every tread, looking for anything broken or uneven.
- Check the carpet. Fasten it firmly to each step, or pull it up and put down non-slip rubber treads.
- Clear the steps completely, including the laundry basket waiting to go up.
If the stairs still feel risky after all that, the bedroom may belong on the first floor. That talk is easier on a calm September afternoon than after a trip to the emergency room.
Bathroom and Bedroom, Checked After Dark
Grab bars go in and beside the tub and by the toilet, per the CDC's checklist. Do this part of the audit at night with the overhead lights off, because that's when your loved one actually makes the trip.
- A non-slip rubber mat or self-stick strips on the tub or shower floor
- Grab bars in and beside the tub, plus one by the toilet
- A lamp close enough to the bed to switch on before standing up
- Nightlights along the path to the bathroom (some turn on by themselves after dark)
- No throw rugs on that path, or rugs held down with double-sided tape
- Lamp and phone charger cords coiled or taped against the wall
The kitchen gets one quick look on the way out. Per the same CDC checklist, the things your parent uses most belong on shelves about waist high.
Retire any chair that's been standing in as a step stool, too. The CDC says never to use one that way, and we agree.
Then Audit the Person, Not Just the Rooms
Falling once doubles the chance of falling again, the CDC reports, so a fall nobody mentioned is the most important thing this audit can find. Ask plainly about stumbles, dizzy spells when getting out of bed, and any new medication since spring.
Then watch your loved one stand up from a low kitchen chair without using their hands. If that's a struggle, strength and balance belong in the plan next to the grab bars.
Does Medicare pay for fall prevention?
Medicare Part B covers a yearly Wellness visit once every 12 months, per Medicare.gov, and that visit is the natural place to raise falls. You pay nothing for it if the provider accepts assignment. The provider also reviews current prescriptions, which is worth doing after any stumble.
We'd book that visit this fall and bring your audit notes. Mention every stumble, even the ones that didn't leave a bruise.
Balance Classes Close to Home, County by County
A Matter of Balance is a class for managing concerns about falls. The New Jersey Division of Aging Services lists a contact for it in every county we serve:
| County | Who to call | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Hunterdon | Hunterdon County Division of Senior Services, Senior Health and Fitness Program | 908-284-6128 |
| Morris | NORWESCAP RSVP | 1-888-387-9830, ext. 2903 |
| Passaic | NORWESCAP RSVP | 1-888-387-9830, ext. 2903 |
| Somerset | Somerset County Office on Aging and Disability Services | 908-704-6346 |
| Sussex | Sussex County Division of Senior Services | 973-579-0555 |
| Warren | NORWESCAP RSVP | 1-888-387-9830, ext. 2903 |
If a county line can't help, the Division of Aging Services answers at 609-438-4798.
We'd push for a class even for a parent who insists they're steady. In rural parts of Warren and Sussex, with little public transportation, plan the ride before you sign up. The CDC's checklist sends families to the local senior center, too, for exercise and fall prevention programs.
Where Our Caregivers Fit Once the Audit Is Done
Our caregivers offer assistance with bathing and the night walk to the bathroom through our Personal Care service. We match each caregiver to your loved one by personality as well as care needs. A parent who likes their caregiver accepts a steadying hand more easily.
Coming home from Morristown Medical Center or Newton Medical Center brings its own fall risks: new medicines and weak legs in a house that hasn't changed. Our Post Surgery Care covers that hospital-to-home transition.
In rural corners where short visits aren't practical, around-the-clock care keeps someone in the house overnight. And if you live in the New York City or North Jersey metro, the Transparency Room portal keeps you close to your parent's care from your desk.
Home care doesn't replace the grab bars. It covers the moments they can't, so your parent keeps their dignity and independence at home.
Call Before the First Snow
Our office is at 143 Lakeside Blvd in Landing. Jill Malanga, the owner, knows choosing care for a loved one is never easy.
Call (973) 512-5131 and tell us what your audit turned up, or use Get Care Now to start online.
