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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One-page holiday visit worksheet

Let the person who lives here choose one change

Before a holiday visit turns into a room-by-room project, ask whether your host wants help with anything. A familiar arrangement may work well for them. If they would rather just visit, put the card away.

Download the fillable visit card (PDF)

Write on paper or type into five fields in a PDF reader. Keep the card with your host, and ask before sharing it.

Use the five questions without downloading

What already works for you here?
What would you like to change, if anything?
What small next step feels right?
Who, if anyone, has your invitation to help?
Would you like a follow-up? If so, when and how?

Example. “Keep the bench where it is. I want to try a bowl for my gloves on the shelf.” Jo offers to bring a spare bowl on Sunday. Their host asks Jo to check back on Friday.

If your host wants a room-by-room record afterward, RoomMend’s free tier includes room notes, rechecks and individual room PDFs. The visit card works separately on paper.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

Free · one optional one-time Plus

Sources

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