Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach
Free In-Home Safety Assessment for an Elderly Parent in South Florida
Published by Safe In Place
Yes. In Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, Safe In Place offers a free, no-obligation in-home safety assessment that an adult child can set up for a parent.
Someone visits the parent's home, looks at what is getting harder (shower or tub entry, stairs, entrances), measures and photographs, and then Safe In Place connects the family with one licensed, vetted local contractor who writes the quote.
The assessment costs $0.
The visit
What gets checked, room by room
This is a home and project visit. It is not a medical evaluation, and it is not an occupational-therapy evaluation. For that, the parent's doctor is the person to ask.
The visit looks at the person and the space. It measures and photographs so the quote is real.
Bathroom
The tub wall the person has to step over, the shower entry and any curb, and the floor and drain if a curbless shower might fit. Toilet height. The places the person already reaches for support.
Stairs
Whether the flight is straight or curved, where the landings are, a nearby outlet for a stair-lift charger, and the handrails that are already there.
Entrances
Step height, the landing, and the threshold. The visit also looks at whether a threshold ramp fits, or whether a full entry ramp with landings and handrails is the project that fits the door.
Doorways and routes
The clear width of doorways and the path through the home, for a walker or a wheelchair. Doorway widening is quoted per doorway.
After a fall
What families usually change first
After a fall in the bathroom, or a discharge home from the hospital, families usually change the shower entry first, then the stairs. A fall in a Boca Raton or Delray Beach bathroom raises the same first question as a fall in Miami or Fort Lauderdale: can this person get into the shower without stepping over a wall?
The shower entry is the tub wall they step over, or the curb at the shower. A tub-to-shower conversion stays in the old tub footprint and keeps a low step. A curbless, zero-entry, or roll-in shower removes that step and needs the floor re-sloped for a linear drain.
Stairs come next when a parent has stopped using a flight. The visit looks at whether the stairs are straight or curved, where the landings are, and whether an outlet is close enough for a stair-lift charger. Stair lifts use a straight or curved rail and include battery backup.
Assessment visits are scheduled in the late afternoon, from 4 to 7 PM, and at least two days out. The licensed contractor writes the quote in about two days. Most jobs are installed within about a week by that contractor. The family decides, with no obligation.
For an adult child
How to arrange the visit, including from out of town
An adult child can set up the visit for a parent, including from out of town. Call (786) 755-1120. A real person answers from 9am to 8pm, seven days a week. Or start with the ZIP code form on the assessment page.
Have ready what changed, which rooms are getting harder, and any condo or HOA building rules. The parent should be home when they can, so the visit can follow what is getting harder. A family member can be there for the visit.
Se habla español. You can also write to hello@safeinplace.org.
Planning prices
What families use to plan, before the written quote
These ranges are for planning a project in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach County. The free visit is what produces a written quote for a specific home.
Planning ranges for Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties
- Project
- In-home assessment
- Planning range
- $0
- What the range covers
- The visit, the measurements, and the photographs. No obligation to continue.
- Project
- Accessible and walk-in showers
- Planning range
- $3,500–$15,000
- What the range covers
- The full planning range, from a simpler shower to a curbless shower.
- Project
- Tub-to-shower conversion
- Planning range
- $3,500–$8,000
- What the range covers
- From $3,500. Most are $4,000–$8,000.
- Project
- Curbless, zero-entry, or roll-in shower
- Planning range
- $8,000–$15,000
- What the range covers
- The floor is re-sloped for a linear drain.
- Project
- Stair lifts
- Planning range
- $2,000–$5,000
- What the range covers
- Reconditioned from $2,000. New from $3,500. Straight or curved rails, with battery backup.
- Project
- Wheelchair ramps
- Planning range
- $650–$3,700
- What the range covers
- A one-step threshold ramp is at the low end. A full entry ramp with landings and handrails is at the high end.
- Project
- Doorway widening
- Planning range
- Quoted per doorway
- What the range covers
- Width for a walker or a wheelchair, priced for that opening.
Planning ranges only. The licensed contractor's written quote after measuring sets the price. Grab bars may be a small part of a shower plan, from $350 for two, anchored into studs or rated hardware.
County and nonprofit programs
How this differs from free county and nonprofit programs
Miami-Dade's Older Adults Home Modification Grant Program (OAHMP) offers free minor home modifications to income-qualified homeowners and tenants age 62 and older. The program includes an occupational therapy visit and selects participants by lottery from a waitlist.
Rebuilding Together Broward's Safe at Home program offers no-cost modifications for low-income older adults.
Safe In Place does not decide eligibility for any program. A family can ask those programs directly. The Safe In Place visit is a free in-home assessment in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, and it connects the family with one licensed, vetted local contractor.
Common questions
Questions families ask before the visit
Is the assessment really free?
Yes. The in-home assessment costs $0, with no obligation to continue. Homeowners are not charged for the assessment. Safe In Place may be paid by the selected contractor.
Can I set it up for my parent if I live out of town?
Yes. An adult child can call (786) 755-1120 or start the ZIP form on the assessment page. Have ready what changed, which rooms are getting harder, and any condo or HOA building rules. The parent should be home when they can. A family member can be there for the visit. Se habla español.
What gets checked?
The bathroom, including the tub step-over, shower entry or curb, floor and drain, toilet height, and where the person already reaches for support. The stairs, including whether they are straight or curved, the landings, a nearby outlet for a stair-lift charger, and the handrails. The entrances, including step height, landing, threshold, and whether a threshold ramp or a full entry ramp fits. Doorway and route width for a walker or a wheelchair. The visit measures and photographs so the quote is real.
Is this a medical or occupational-therapy evaluation?
No. It is a home and project visit. It is not a medical evaluation and it is not an occupational-therapy evaluation. For that, the parent's doctor is the person to ask.
How soon do we get a price?
The licensed contractor writes the quote in about two days after measuring. That written quote sets the price. The family decides, with no obligation. Most jobs are installed within about a week by that contractor. Assessment visits are in the late afternoon, from 4 to 7 PM, and at least two days out.
Who does the work?
Safe In Place connects the family with one licensed, vetted local contractor. That contractor confirms the scope and writes the quote, the contract, and the permits, and does the work.
Does Medicare, insurance, or the VA pay?
Safe In Place does not promise that Medicare, insurance, or the VA will pay. It can point families to programs to ask about.
Which areas are covered?
Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties only. That includes Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and West Palm Beach. English and Spanish. A real person answers (786) 755-1120 from 9am to 8pm, seven days a week.
Set up the visit
Call (786) 755-1120 or start with the ZIP form. Safe In Place connects your family with one licensed, vetted local contractor. The assessment costs $0.