The STEADI fall risk questionnaire, formally called Stay Independent, is a one-page CDC self-screening you complete by circling “Yes” or “No” for 12 statements about your balance, mobility, medications, and mood. Two of the 12 items are worth 2 points; the other 10 are worth 1 point each. Add up your “Yes” answers, and a total of 4 or more means you should talk with your doctor about fall risk.1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stay Independent Brochure
The brochure is a free PDF on the CDC’s STEADI patient resources page. Print it at home, or ask your doctor’s office or local Area Agency on Aging for a copy. Many clinics already hand it out at routine visits and Medicare Annual Wellness Visits. STEADI stands for Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries, and the questionnaire is the entry point to a broader CDC framework aimed at adults 65 and older, more than one in four of whom fall each year.2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. STEADI – Older Adult Fall Prevention3Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About STEADI
Before You Start
Set aside about five minutes in a quiet spot. You don’t need medical records, but keep a current medication list within reach. Two of the questions ask whether any of your medicines make you lightheaded or tired, or whether you take anything for sleep or mood. If you take several prescriptions, it’s easy to blank on which does what, and the pill bottles or a written list keep your answers accurate.
Drug classes that commonly matter here include benzodiazepines, sleep aids, some antidepressants, older antihistamines, and blood pressure medications such as alpha-blockers. If any of those are on your list, note them so you can mention them to your provider along with your score.
The 12 Questions
Circle “Yes” or “No” for each statement:1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stay Independent Brochure
- I have fallen in the past year.
- I use or have been advised to use a cane or walker to get around safely.
- Sometimes I feel unsteady when I am walking.
- I steady myself by holding onto furniture when walking at home.
- I am worried about falling.
- I need to push with my hands to stand up from a chair.
- I have some trouble stepping up onto a curb.
- I often have to rush to the toilet.
- I have lost some feeling in my feet.
- I take medicine that sometimes makes me feel light-headed or more tired than usual.
- I take medicine to help me sleep or improve my mood.
- I often feel sad or depressed.
Answer every item honestly. If you’re on the fence about one, mark “Yes.” The point of the tool is to flag concerns for your doctor, not to pass a test, and a borderline answer is worth surfacing.
How to Score It
Not every “Yes” carries the same weight. Two questions are worth 2 points each because they’re the strongest predictors of a future fall:1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stay Independent Brochure
- “I have fallen in the past year” — 2 points for “Yes.” Someone who has already fallen is significantly more likely to fall again.
- “I use or have been advised to use a cane or walker to get around safely” — 2 points for “Yes.” Needing an assistive device signals an existing balance or mobility problem.
Every other “Yes” is worth 1 point. A “No” on any question scores zero. Add up your total.
A score of 4 or more means you may be at risk for falling, and the brochure directs you to discuss the results with your doctor.1Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stay Independent Brochure A score below 4 suggests lower immediate risk, but rescreening annually is recommended, and any actual fall should trigger a new assessment regardless of when you last scored.4Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. STEADI Algorithm for Fall Risk Screening, Assessment, and Intervention
Worked Examples
A “Yes” to falling in the past year alone puts you at 2. Add “Yes” to feeling unsteady while walking and “Yes” to steadying yourself on furniture, and you’re at 4. That’s the threshold.
Someone who hasn’t fallen and doesn’t use a walker starts from zero on the weighted items, so hitting 4 requires four separate “Yes” answers among the remaining questions. That’s why the score can climb quickly when medications, bathroom urgency, foot numbness, and mood are all in play at once.
What to Do With Your Score
Bring the completed brochure to your next appointment. The questionnaire becomes part of your medical record and gives your provider a concrete starting point. This is especially useful at a Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, which requires the provider to screen fall risk as part of the visit’s functional ability and safety review.5Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Annual Wellness Visit Handing over a pre-filled form keeps the topic from being crowded out by everything else on the wellness-visit checklist.
If your score is below 4, your provider will likely note the result and suggest rescreening in a year. If your score is 4 or higher, expect a deeper evaluation. The STEADI algorithm points providers toward follow-up assessments of gait, strength, balance, and blood pressure, then matches each finding to a specific intervention — physical therapy for weakness, medication review for drugs that increase fall risk, an occupational therapy referral for home hazards, treatment for orthostatic hypotension, vision or footwear changes, or vitamin D if you’re deficient.4Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. STEADI Algorithm for Fall Risk Screening, Assessment, and Intervention
Your provider should follow up within 30 to 90 days on whatever care plan you put together, then rescreen you annually.4Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. STEADI Algorithm for Fall Risk Screening, Assessment, and Intervention The questionnaire itself is only the first step, but it’s the step that opens the conversation, and it’s one you can do at your kitchen table before you ever pick up the phone to schedule the visit.