‘Stay Home Safe’ Program Reduces Fall-Related Hospital Visits by Nearly 50%

Detroit, MI —More than 14 million older adults in the U.S. fall every year, resulting in $50 billion dollars in medical costs. Newly released data shows Stay Home Safe, a novel program created by Henry Ford Health and Habitat for Humanity Detroit, is helping prevent falls, injuries, emergency department visits, and hospital admissions for low-income older adults in Metro Detroit.

A Stay Home Safe team recently visited the home of an elderly Detroit woman to install safety features including a railing on the back porch, lights and a motion-detecting light switch on the stairs, grab bars in the bathroom, and laminate flooring in the kitchen.

After the repairs, the woman noted her feet no longer caught on the rough kitchen floor--which looks “lovely”--  and she has less anxiety getting in and out of the tub or going down the stairs.

Stay Home Safe focuses on patients 55 and older who are at-risk for falls, meet low-income criteria, and consent to services. Henry Ford Health staff in select departments identify eligible patients and refer them to Habitat Detroit. Habitat Detroit’s construction team then surveys the patient’s home and makes modifications meant to prevent falls and increase overall safety.

Stay Home Safe has served more than 270 participants in Metro Detroit since its inception in 2021. Data examining outcomes through 2025 indicates participants are nearly half as likely to visit a hospital because of a fall after repairs were made. Nearly every participant who responded to a Stay Home Safe survey reported feeling safer and less afraid of falling.

“Housing is one of the most important nonmedical factors that influence our health,” said Dana Parke, Stay Home Safe program manager at Henry Ford Health. “It’s also a significant component of financial wellbeing. By bringing health and housing partners together, we are helping older adults avoid costly hospital visits and even assisted living facilities. That supports generational wealth through continued home ownership.”

In 2025 Stay Home Safe was recognized by the World Health Organization as an example of best practices in urban health and its potential to be replicated in communities working to address housing as a social determinant of health.

“The Stay Home Safe program shows how partnerships can make a real difference for the people who need it most,” said Habitat for Humanity Detroit CEO Stephanie Osterland. “By working together, we were able to bring resources to those facing the greatest challenges.”

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, HAP CareSource, and the National Council on Aging are currently helping to fund the program.

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