How the Aging-in-Place Risk Score Works

Guide · AgingInPlaceChecklist

Our free checklist asks 12 short questions and ends with a result: Low, Moderate, or Higher concern. That result isn't a diagnosis — it's a quick screen, built the way an occupational therapist or CAPS specialist might think through a first-pass home walkthrough. Here's exactly how it's calculated, so the result means something instead of feeling like a black box.

What it's actually measuring

Each question maps to a specific, well-documented risk factor for falls or reduced independence at home. Roughly, they cluster into four groups:

Layout and mobility — how many stories the home has, whether there's a bedroom and full bathroom on the main floor, and whether anyone uses a cane, walker, or wheelchair.
Bathroom setup — grab bars near the toilet and shower or tub, and whether the bathing area is a walk-in shower or a tub you step into.
Hazards and visibility — loose rugs or runners, steps at the entry without a ramp, doorway and hallway width, and nighttime lighting.
History and support — whether anyone has fallen in the past year, whether stairs have handrails on both sides, and whether the person being assessed lives alone.

How the points add up

Every answer is worth 0 to 3 points, weighted toward the factors with the strongest link to falls. A fall in the past year, for example, carries more weight than doorway width, because a prior fall is one of the single strongest predictors of a future one. Some questions are skipped automatically when they don't apply — if the home is one story, we don't ask about handrails on stairs that don't exist. The points from every question you're asked are added together into a single total, out of a possible 24.

What the three results mean

Low concern (0–4 points). We didn't flag many common hazards. A professional assessment can still catch details a checklist can't — exact clearances, code specifics — but there's nothing urgent here.

Moderate concern (5–10 points). Your answers flagged some real, common concerns. Several are inexpensive fixes (a rug, a light fixture); others, like doorway width or entry steps, are worth having measured properly by someone in person.

Higher concern (11+ points). Several meaningful risk factors were flagged together. This is the situation a full, in-person, prioritized assessment is built for — it tells you what matters most first and roughly what it costs to fix.

What it isn't

The checklist is self-reported and only as accurate as the answers you give it. It doesn't measure exact doorway widths, code compliance, or structural details — it's designed to take under two minutes and point you in the right direction, not replace someone walking through the home with a tape measure. If your result comes back Moderate or Higher, the next reasonable step is an in-person assessment or a conversation with a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS).

Haven't taken the checklist yet? It's 12 questions and takes under two minutes.

Take the free checklist →