This is a free "Aging in Place Checklist" for people who live alone. It provides a printable PDF containing a room-by-room home safety checklist, as well as a plan: if you fall, who will notice, and how help will get in.
Purpose Most aging-in-place checklists focus only on rugs and grab bars. When living alone, the bigger problem is after a fall: who will notice, and how help will get through a locked door. This checklist covers both.
Main Capabilities The first page of the checklist is the plan: who will find out, how you will call for help, who has keys, and how rescuers will get in. Any item marked "Not yet" has a numbered task to close it. The rest is a room-by-room checklist.
How to Use
- Every question is optional. Skip a question and the checklist shows a generic version of that task.
- Lockboxes, check-in calls, and home safety visit programs vary by state and province; select your region and the checklist will list them where data is available.
- Fill in the plan page first: manually enter names and phone numbers, then stick it on the refrigerator next to the emergency contact card.
- Then walk through each room with the checklist and check off each item as you complete it. Some tasks require phone calls: ask the fire department about a lockbox, ask the city about lift assistance, ask the building management office about keys. A script for each call is included in the task.
- Get a second set of eyes: this checklist is organized to show what to look at, but it does not judge whether you can live alone. An occupational therapist can make a home safety visit. In the United States, ask your doctor or local agency on aging; in Canada, call your provincial home care program. The last task in the checklist explains where to start in your state or province.
- Repeat twice a year: redo it after a fall, hospitalization, or move, and when your key holder or check-in person changes. Keep the PDF so you can compare next time.
Use Cases For people living alone planning home safety, especially when worried that after a fall no one will notice or help will not be able to get in. Also suitable for family members or helpers to understand your living arrangements.
Limitations This tool requires JavaScript; if JavaScript is disabled in your browser, the interactive features will not work. It does not provide legal, medical, tax, or financial advice. Before signing or relying on anything, consult a licensed lawyer in your state or province. This tool is provided "as is" and is only for organizing information. It cannot judge whether you are able to live alone.
