Stairs & Entryways: Preventing Falls Where They Happen Most

 

Aging in Place — A Complete Safety & Convenience Guide

See our Senior Stairs & Entryways Collection

Stairs present an obvious fall risk, but entryways deserve just as much attention.  

Thresholds, uneven pavement, and poor exterior lighting are common, frequently underestimated hazards that don't get the same attention stairs do. Together, these two areas account for a significant share of at-home falls, and both can be made dramatically safer with a handful of practical changes.

Why This Area Matters

Unlike a bathroom or kitchen, stairs and entryways are transition zones — places you're moving through, often carrying something, sometimes distracted, rather than standing still. That combination of movement, changing floor height, and divided attention is exactly what makes this category worth taking seriously, even in a home where stairs have been climbed the same way for decades without incident.

1. Handrails on Both Sides

A sturdy, well-installed handrail on both sides of a staircase — not just one — makes a meaningful difference, especially for anyone managing balance issues, fatigue, or carrying items like laundry that occupy one hand. It's a common oversight in older homes, many of which were built with only a single handrail, if any at all.

2. High-Visibility Stair Tread Edging

Non-slip strips with high-visibility edging help make each step easier to judge at a glance, which matters particularly for anyone with declining depth perception or the vision changes that come naturally with age. This is a small, inexpensive addition that pays off every single time the stairs are used.

3. Motion-Sensor Stairway Lighting

Adequate lighting throughout the staircase — including motion-sensor night lights along the path — addresses one of the most common contributing factors to nighttime falls: simply not being able to see the steps clearly. This matters most for the 2 a.m. trip most people don't plan for in advance.

4. Threshold Ramps

At entryways, threshold ramps smooth the transition where flooring height changes, which matters both for anyone using a cane, walker, or wheelchair, and for anyone simply prone to catching a toe on an unexpected lip in the flooring — a surprisingly common tripping hazard that's easy to overlook until it causes a fall.

5. Outdoor Entry Lighting

Motion-activated lighting near entry points helps with both safety and simple visibility during early morning or evening hours, particularly as days shorten in fall and winter months. Pair this with slip-resistant mats on both the interior and exterior sides of doorways for a complete solution.

See our full Senior Stairs & Entryways Collection for all five of these picks in one place.

A Bigger Step Worth Considering

If mobility has become a more significant concern, it's worth having an honest conversation about whether a stairlift makes sense for a multi-story home. It's a larger investment than anything else on this list, but for the right situation, it can meaningfully extend how long someone can comfortably stay in a home they love — which is really what this whole guide is about.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Installing a handrail on only one side. Both sides genuinely matters, especially for anyone carrying items while using the stairs.
• Overlooking exterior steps. Interior stairs tend to get all the attention; porch and entryway steps are just as risky and often get skipped entirely.
• Waiting for a fall before adding lighting. Motion-sensor lights are inexpensive enough to install proactively, well before there's ever a problem.

Recommended Reading

Aging in Place — A Complete Safety & Convenience Guide

Stairs and entryways are easy to take for granted until they're not — a little attention here goes a long way toward keeping a home safe and comfortable for years to come.