How can we support people age safely and with dignity in their own homes?

Dr. Susy Stark, is a Professor at the Washington University in St Louis School of Public Health. As an occupational therapist and community-based researcher, her work focuses on helping adults with chronic conditions and functional decline age successfully in place by using tailored environmental support and self-management strategies to prevent falls.

In this episode, Dr. Stark joins Salma to speak about the overlooked role of the home environment in shaping health outcomes for older adults. Drawing on decades of clinical experience and research, Susy explains why falls are not inevitable consequences of aging, but largely preventable events shaped by the interaction between bodies, environments, and behavior. The conversation unpacks the demographic shift from an aging “pyramid” to an aging “column,” the misalignment between how homes are built and how people age, and why nearly half of all falls occur inside the home.

At the center of the discussion is the Home Hazard Removal Program (HARP), an evidence-based intervention that pairs individualized home assessments with shared decision-making and hands-on implementation. Susy describes how modest environmental changes like improved lighting, handrails, and non-slip surfaces, can reduce fall rates by 38% while generating a positive return on investment for the health system.

Beyond intervention design, the episode explores why community-based care remains underfunded in the U.S., what it takes to translate evidence into policy, and why aging should be understood not as a niche issue, but as a collective future we are all moving toward and must all help address comprehensively.

A conversation about prevention, autonomy, and why supporting older adults is not just compassionate, it is essential for the sustainability of our health systems.

Useful resources:

1. Stark S, Keglovits M, Somerville E, et al. Home Hazard Removal to Reduce Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(8):e2122044. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.22044

Host: Dr. Salma Abdalla Editors: Catalina Melendez Contreras Marketing: Kinkini Bhaduri Music: Eden Avery / Melting Glass from Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/2fqOXWpHab/

The views and opinions expressed by the guest in this episode do not necessarily reflect those of their institution, the funders, or the podcast team.