Three methods · the CDC’s 16 checks · updated November 2026

16 checks, one weekend, one fix list the whole family can read.

How to make a house safer for elderly parents without turning it into a project nobody finishes: walk the rooms with the CDC’s checklist, sort what you find into this week, this month and someday, and give everyone a list with their name on it. Three ways to run that, compared, including our app.

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Scene one · Saturday at Mum’s, made up but familiar

10:05 amYou arrive with coffee and no plan beyond “have a look round”. The rug in the hall has a curled corner. You have seen it for six years.

10:20 amPhone out. Hallway: loose rug, cord across the path to the lamp. Two taps each, a photo, a marker on the exact spot. This week.

10:50 amBathroom walkthrough. The question is whether she has any concern about stepping into the bath; she says no, then says “well”. Grab bar: this month, and a note to ask about an occupational therapist visit.

12:30 pmNine rooms, eleven items, four of them done before lunch with tape, a bulb and a nightlight. The rest go out as a plain-text list to your sister with names next to them.

A month laterA reminder: look again at the hall rug. It has crept back. You fix it properly this time.

Scene two · how the weekend works
1

Walk every room with a list

The CDC’s Check for Safety has 16 questions across stairs, floors, kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms. Ask them out loud, with your parent.

2

Sort by effort, not by room

This week: tape, bulbs, nightlights, a bath mat. This month: handrails, grab bars, stair lighting, a proper step stool. Someday: furniture and shelves.

3

Put names on it, then look again

A list with owners and dates gets done; a list without them is a wish. Recheck in 30 days, because rugs come back.

Scene three · three methods, compared

The printed CDC checklist

Cost
Free PDF
What you get
16 questions with fixes, by room
Reminders and rechecks
None; it is paper
Sharing
Photograph the page
Best for
Everyone, as the starting list

An occupational therapist visit

Cost
Varies; ask the doctor or Area Agency on Aging about coverage
What you get
An assessment built around how your parent actually moves, with equipment advice
Reminders and rechecks
Follow-up if arranged
Sharing
A written report
Best for
Mobility concerns, after a fall, before a discharge

RoomMend (ours)

Cost
Free; one optional one-time Plus
What you get
Room walkthroughs based on CDC, NIA, NFPA and CPSC guidance; three-tap notes with photo markers; a fix list with owners and dates
Reminders and rechecks
A look-again reminder 30 days after a fix is ticked done
Sharing
Plain text by Messages or email, or a PDF per room
Best for
Keeping the list alive after Saturday

Not a competition. Most families should use the first and the third, and the second whenever mobility is the worry.

Scene four · questions
Where do I start when making a parent’s house safer?

With the CDC checklist above, room by room, on a day your parent is home and part of it. The this-week items are cheap and quick (rugs, cords, bulbs, nightlights, a bath mat); the this-month items need a handyman or electrician (handrails, grab bars, stair lighting). Do the first group the same day.

Should I hire a professional?

For mobility, structural, electrical or fire-safety concerns, yes. An occupational therapist can do a home safety assessment tailored to how your parent actually moves; ask their doctor or the local Area Agency on Aging. RoomMend’s own listing says it is not an inspection, certification or fall-risk assessment.

How do I keep the fixes from slipping back?

Recheck. A rug comes back, a bulb goes again. RoomMend plans a reminder to look again 30 days after a fix is ticked done, and keeps before, after and recheck photos in the room’s history, per the listing.

How do I get my siblings to actually help?

Give them a list with names on it. The app sends the fix list by Messages or email as plain text, or a PDF per room, and each fix can carry who is doing it and a target date. The copy box above makes a plain-text version right now.

Is RoomMend free?

Per the listing: every walkthrough, unlimited rooms and notes, the fix list, reminders, rechecks, side-by-side compare and room PDFs are free. Plus is a one-time purchase (no subscription) for more homes, more photos per room, the whole-home binder PDF, the before/after slider, annotated export and the full timeline.

Does it need my parent’s address or an account?

No address, no location, no account, no ads, no analytics; records and photos stay on the device and it works offline, per the listing. Optional Face ID lock.

Scene five · the 16 checks, sorted as you tick

Tick what you found. The counts and the plain-text list update instantly. Nothing leaves this page.

Stairs and steps

Floors

Kitchen

Bedrooms

Bathrooms

0this week: tape, bulbs, nightlights, a mat
0this month: rails, bars, lighting, a safe stool
0someday: furniture and shelves
Scene six · honest limits
Not an inspection.

RoomMend’s listing says it is not a home inspection, safety certification, fall-risk assessment or medical tool, and it does not detect hazards in photos. It organises your notes.

“Reported completed” is a claim, not a check.

The app records that someone said the work was done. You still go and look; that is what the 30-day recheck is for.

Plus exists.

One-time purchase for more homes, more photos per room, the whole-home binder PDF and the before/after slider. The free tier covers one home fully.

New, iPhone, iOS 18.

Released 14 October 2026. Few reviews yet; the walkthrough sources (CDC, NIA, NFPA, CPSC) are the part to trust.

RoomMend Quick note: which room, what did you notice, with options like Loose rug, Too dark, Cord across path, Hard to reach, Handrail or grab bar, Alarm to test
Three taps: room, what you noticed, when.
RoomMend photo markers: a sample hallway illustration with numbered markers on a rug and shoes, listed as text below
Markers on your own photo, listed as plain text too.
RoomMend fix list with items to review, planned and in progress, each with a person's name and a target date
The fix list, with names and dates.

Get RoomMend free

RoomMend: Safer Home Plans. Room-by-room walkthroughs, three-tap notes with photo markers, a fix list with names, and a look-again reminder in 30 days. No account, no ads, offline.

Download RoomMend: Safer Home Plans on the App StoreFree · one optional one-time Plus

Sources

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, STEADI: Check for Safety: A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults. The 16 checks and fixes above are paraphrased from it; the this-week / this-month / someday sorting is ours.
  2. RoomMend: Safer Home Plans on the App Store, listing read 4 November 2026 (version 1.0.0): walkthrough sources, free tier and Plus, recheck reminder, sharing, privacy, the not-an-inspection statement.

General information for families, not a safety assessment. For electrical, gas, structural, fire-safety or mobility concerns, consult a qualified professional.

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