Walk through the house one room at a time, tick what needs attention, and leave with a short list of what to do first and who on Whidbey can do it.
This is a planning tool, not a test. Nothing here is a judgement about anyone's ability to stay in their own home. Most of what it turns up is small, cheap and fixable in an afternoon, and the point of doing it now is so that nobody is making these decisions in a hurry later.
It takes about thirty minutes. You can stop partway and come back, as long as you keep this page open.
If you need help right now
Any emergencyCall 911. Fire, medical, a fall with injury, a gas smell, someone missing.
If 911 will not connectNorth and Central Whidbey 360-679-9567. South Whidbey 360-321-4400. These are the alternate emergency numbers listed by the Washington State Military Department. Try 911 first.
Someone is not answering and you are worriedIsland County Sheriff 360-678-4422 will do a welfare check. You do not need to know the person well to ask. Being wrong about it costs nothing.
You think an older adult is being harmed, neglected or financially exploitedAdult Protective Services 1-877-734-6277, statewide, 24 hours. In a licensed facility, call the Complaint Resolution Unit on 1-800-562-6078.
Someone has fallen and is not injured but cannot get upCall 911. No fire district on Whidbey runs a separate lift assist line, and lifting someone alone is how a second person gets hurt.
1Whose home is this?
This is only used to head up your printed list. Nothing is stored and nothing is sent anywhere until you choose to send it.
2Which end of the island?
This decides which local people I show you. Choose the one nearest the home.
3Has anything changed lately?
Tick anything that is true. There are no wrong answers here, and ticking nothing is a perfectly good result.
Worth knowing: the strongest research on this, a 2023 Cochrane review, found that going through a home and actually fixing what turns up cuts the rate of falls by about a third for people in exactly this situation. For people with none of the above it made no measurable difference. So this is worth finishing properly, and the fixing is the part that counts, not the list.
4Anything else I should know about?
Each of these adds a few extra questions further down. Leave them unticked if they do not apply.
5Which parts of the home shall we walk through?
Walk through, and tick what needs attention
Tick the box beside anything where the answer is no, or where you are not sure. Everything you tick moves to your list at the bottom, along with what to do about it and who nearby can do it. Leave the rest alone.
My home safety list
My home safety list
Nothing ticked yet. Work through the questions above and anything that needs attention will collect here.
Email this list
Pick whichever you actually use. If none of them open, the whole list is in the box at the bottom and the copy button beside it always works.
120 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. At 150 degrees a serious burn takes about two seconds. At 120 it takes about five minutes.
Smoke alarms
Inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, on every level including the basement. Replace 10 years from the manufacture date printed on the back. Test monthly.
Carbon monoxide alarms
Every level, and outside each sleeping area. Battery powered or with battery backup. Replace by the date printed on the alarm.
Grab bars
33 to 36 inches above the floor, 1.25 to 2 inches across, 1.5 inches clear of the wall, anchored to hold 250 pounds pulled in any direction.
Stair handrails
Both sides, continuous, 34 to 38 inches above the stair nosings, carrying on 12 inches past the top step.
Ramp slope
12 inches of ramp for every 1 inch of rise. A 22 inch rise needs a 22 foot ramp.
Space heaters
3 feet of clear space on every side. Plugged straight into the wall, never an extension cord.
Generators
Outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust pointed away.
Doorways and hallways
32 inches clear through a doorway, 36 inches to pass in a hallway.