Slippers for Seniors: How to Choose Safe House Slippers for Men and Women

Slippers are often bought as a winter gift, and they are usually chosen by feel. Whichever pair is softest in the store tends to win.

For house slippers for men and women past 60, that gets things backwards. The research on indoor footwear cares far more about what holds your heel than about what cushions it.

If you are a senior, you probably spend more waking hours in slippers than in any shoe you own.

If you are a caregiver, the pair that matters most is the one beside your parent’s bed. That is the pair worn half-asleep on the way to the bathroom in the dark.

Below is what makes one pair safer than another, and what the words orthopedic and diabetic on a slipper box actually promise.

Quick Answer: What Makes a Slipper Safe for a Senior?

The safest slipper behaves like a light indoor shoe. It has a closed heel, a strap or other fastening that keeps it on, a fairly firm sole with rubber-type tread, and a low heel.

Backless pairs, worn-smooth soles and stretched-out slippers are the ones to retire. Thick memory foam feels wonderful but may cost some steadiness, so treat it as a trade-off rather than an upgrade.

Anyone who has fallen, has numb feet or gets up at night is often better served by an indoor shoe than by any slipper.

What the Research Says About Slippers and Falls

Slippers come up again and again in fall research, though the studies are smaller than the topic deserves.

In an Australian study of 95 older adults with a fall-related hip fracture, average age 78, slippers were the most common footwear worn at the time of the fall, at 22 percent. Sherrington and Menz also found that 63 percent wore footwear with no fastening, and that people who tripped were more likely to be wearing unfastened shoes.

The MOBILIZE Boston Study followed 765 older adults, most aged 70 and up, for a median of about 27 months. Just over half of their falls at home, 51.9 percent, happened while they were barefoot, in socks or in slippers.

Those falls carried a little more than twice the odds of a serious injury compared with falls in regular shoes. The study grouped slippers together with bare feet and socks, so it cannot say how much of that risk belongs to slippers alone.

The most direct test of slipper design came in 2017.

Menz, Auhl and Munteanu had 30 women aged 65 to 83 complete balance and walking tests in socks, in soft-soled backless slippers, and in enclosed slippers with a firm sole and a Velcro strap. Performance was best in the enclosed slippers and worst in the backless pair, which scored below plain socks.

Of the 30 women, 23 said they would consider wearing the enclosed slippers to lower their fall risk.

Here is the honest limit. That study measured balance in a lab rather than falls at home, and none of the studies cited here tested whether giving people better slippers actually reduces the number of falls they have.

What the evidence does show is a consistent direction. Indoor footwear with a held heel and a firm sole beat backless slippers in the tests that have been run.

The Slippers to Retire This Week

Some pairs fail the moment you look at them.

• Backless scuffs and mules. A conference report from a University of Wollongong lab found that open-back shoes changed how older women walked, because the ankle muscles had to work harder just to keep the shoes on.
• Soles worn smooth, especially under the heel and the ball of the foot
• A pair so stretched that the foot slides around inside it
• Slippers that are too short. In a study of 176 older adults, Menz and Morris linked shoes shorter than the foot to deformities of the smaller toes, and a favorite slipper is easy to keep long after it stopped fitting.
• Bare feet or socks with no shoe. In a Washington State study comparing older adults who fell with matched older adults who did not, going barefoot or in stocking feet carried about 11 times the odds of a fall, although the range around that estimate was very wide.

If you are a caregiver, turn the slippers over during your next visit. A flat, glassy sole tells you more than asking whether they still fit.

Our main guide to footwear for seniors to prevent falls covers outdoor shoes and the same sole check in more detail.

What to Look For in a Safer Slipper

The features that keep turning up in the research are the same ones that make a good walking shoe.

• A closed heel that holds the back of your foot.
• A strap, hook-and-loop tab or lace that keeps the slipper snug and can be loosened when feet swell
• A sole that is fairly firm and not overly thick, for reasons the memory foam section below explains
• Rubber-type tread on the bottom. A 2024 review by Kim and Hegazy notes that a treaded sole with deeper tread raises friction between shoe and floor.
• A low heel. The same review, citing earlier work by Menz, treats about 4 cm, a little over an inch and a half, as a reasonable upper limit for balance.
• Enough length and width that your toes do not press against the front

Menant and colleagues summed it up in a 2008 review of footwear and fall risk. Older people should wear shoes with low heels and firm, slip-resistant soles, both inside and outside the home.

Notice what that list leaves out, which is softness.

Memory Foam Slippers: Comfort Versus Steadiness

Memory foam is the feature most slipper boxes lead with, and it does feel good underfoot.

The best study on the trade-off is old but pointed. Robbins and colleagues had 25 healthy men aged 60 and older walk a balance beam in shoes with different midsoles, and both softer and thicker midsoles led to more balance failures.

Then came the uncomfortable part. The men generally rated the shoes that made them less stable as the more comfortable ones.

That was a beam test in healthy men, not a falls study, and nobody has run the same test on memory foam slippers. It is still a good reason not to treat comfort in the store as a safety signal.

A thin layer of foam over a firm, treaded sole is a reasonable compromise. If the slipper wobbles side to side when you rock onto the outer edge of your foot, the foam is doing too much.

If you are a caregiver, watch how your parent walks in new soft slippers for the first few days. The Wollongong report found older people walked more cautiously in soft-soled shoes, and a shorter, hesitant step is worth noticing.

Indoor Shoes Versus Slippers: Who Should Skip Slippers Altogether

For some people the safest slipper is not a slipper.

The Boston study authors concluded that older adults should wear shoes in the home whenever possible. A CDC home safety checklist says the same in plain words: wear shoes inside and outside the house, and avoid going barefoot or wearing slippers.

In the Washington State study, athletic and canvas shoes were tied to the lowest fall risk of any footwear style.

A pair of sneakers kept for indoor use only is the practical version of that advice, and it keeps outdoor dirt off the carpet. It is the step worth pushing for if any of the following apply.

• A fall in the past year
• Numbness, tingling or burning in the feet
• A slow Timed Up and Go. On this test you stand up from a chair, walk to a line, turn, walk back and sit down, and CDC’s STEADI program treats 12 seconds or more as a sign of fall risk.
• Getting up more than once a night to use the bathroom

Slippers and Nighttime Bathroom Trips

The slipper beside the bed earns its keep in the middle of the night.

You are drowsy and the room is dim. A slipper you have to fish for with your toes, or one that slides off on the first step, is working against you at the worst possible moment.

Park the pair exactly where your feet land when you sit up, openings facing you. With a strapped slipper, leaving the strap loose overnight lets it go on in one motion, and you can fasten it before you stand.

Caregivers, the lighting is the other half of the fix. The CDC checklist suggests a night-light on the path from bed to bathroom, and our guide to preventing falls on nighttime bathroom trips walks through the whole route.

Orthopedic Slippers and Diabetic Slippers: What the Labels Mean

These are two of the most searched slipper terms, and neither one guarantees much on its own.

We could not find any standard a slipper has to meet before it can be sold as orthopedic. On a retail box, read past the word to the features actually listed, such as a removable insole, extra depth or an adjustable strap.

One label does involve a review. The American Podiatric Medical Association grants its Seal of Acceptance after a panel of APMA member physicians evaluates a product, and APMA describes the seal as a recognition, not an endorsement.

The term diabetic slippers has a similar gap. Medicare Part B covers therapeutic shoes and inserts for people with diabetes and severe diabetes-related foot disease, and its coverage page does not mention slippers at all.

Those shoes need certification from the doctor treating the diabetes and an order from a podiatrist or other qualified doctor, with 20 percent coinsurance after the Part B deductible. Retail slippers, including the ones in our cards below, are not Medicare-covered therapeutic footwear.

With diabetes, choosing a slipper is mostly about protecting the skin.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases advises wearing shoes and socks at all times, and not walking barefoot or in just socks, even indoors. It also says to check inside shoes before putting them on, because someone who has lost feeling may not notice a pebble or a blister.

Warmth needs care too. NIDDK warns against using heating devices on the feet and suggests socks in bed instead, since nerve damage can let a burn go unnoticed.

If you care for someone with diabetes, look at their feet after the first few days in any new slipper. Red marks where the slipper presses mean the fit is wrong, and our overview of common foot problems in older adults covers what else to watch for.

Choosing House Slippers for Men: Sizing and Fit

Men’s slippers raise a few fit questions of their own.

In the Menz and Morris study, most participants of both sexes wore shoes narrower than their feet. Women’s shoes were the shorter and narrower of the two, but the men were far from a perfect fit either.

Measure both feet standing, late in the day, and fit the larger one. If your feet swell by evening, our article on swelling in the legs and feet explains when that swelling is a reason to call a doctor.

Many slippers sold online, including ours, use EU sizes. EU and US sizes do not convert neatly, so use the size chart on the product page rather than guessing.

For women reading along, every rule above applies to you too. The slippers we sell right now are men’s styles, so the cards below will not suit most women’s feet.

Our Slippers: Where They Fit and Where They Do Not

We sell two winter slippers, and we want to be straight about them before you look.

Both are open-back styles with no strap. By the standard this article just laid out, they are not the pair for someone who has fallen or who gets up at night.

Where they can make sense is for a steady walker who mostly sits, reading or watching a game, and wants warm feet. Both listings state a TPR (thermoplastic rubber) sole, though neither cites a slip-resistance test.

The first pair has the lower heel of the two, listed at 1 to 3 cm, which keeps it well under the 4 cm guide above.

The second is a moccasin-look clog with a closed toe and a cushioned footbed. Its heel is listed at 3 to 5 cm, which can run past that 4 cm guide, so it is the less conservative choice of the two.

If this article has convinced you that you need a closed-heel slipper or an indoor shoe instead, buy that. We would rather you ended up in the right pair than in one of ours.

What a Doctor Will Typically Check

A question about slippers often turns into a quick look at the whole person.

• How you walk in the slippers you actually wear, including whether they slip at the heel
• Feeling in the feet. This matters most with diabetes or neuropathy, where a rubbing slipper can go unnoticed.
• Balance and walking tests such as the Timed Up and Go
• Skin on the toes and heels, looking for pressure marks, corns or sores
• Foot length and width, measured standing

If you are a caregiver, bring the slippers to the appointment, not just the good shoes. The worn pair shows a clinician how your parent really moves at home.

What NOT to Do

• Do not buy slippers by softness alone.
• Do not keep a backless pair by the bed for night trips to the bathroom.
• Do not rely on socks as your main footwear on hard floors.
• Do not warm cold feet with a heating pad or hot water bottle if you have diabetes or numbness. NIDDK suggests socks in bed instead.
• Do not assume orthopedic or diabetic on a slipper box means a clinician reviewed it.
• Do not size by the number inside your old slippers. Measure your feet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are memory foam slippers good for seniors?

They are comfortable, but comfort and steadiness are not the same thing. Thick, soft soles were linked to worse balance in older men in the Robbins study, so look for only a thin foam layer over a firm, treaded sole.

What are the best house slippers for men over 60?

Look for a closed heel, a strap or other fastening, a firm rubber-type sole with tread, and a low heel. Fit matters as much as features, so measure both feet and use the size chart on the product page.

Are diabetic slippers covered by Medicare?

Medicare’s therapeutic shoe benefit covers shoes and inserts for people with diabetes and severe diabetes-related foot disease, and its coverage page does not list slippers. Ask the doctor treating your diabetes whether you qualify for therapeutic shoes, which you can wear around the house as well.

My mother refuses to give up her backless slippers. What can I do?

Try a swap rather than a lecture. A closed-heel pair in a color she likes, set down exactly where the old pair sits, is an easier ask than a talk about falling.

It may help to know that in the Menz study, the women rated the enclosed slippers as more comfortable than the backless ones.

Are leather house slippers for men a good choice?

A leather upper is fine. Judge the pair by the same rules as any other slipper, because if it is a backless mule with a smooth sole, the leather does not change that.

Final Thoughts for Adults Over 50

A good slipper is really a small indoor shoe, and the heel is where to start judging one.

If you are a senior, slide a finger behind your heel the next time you put your slippers on. If nothing is there to hold it, that pair belongs by the recliner, not on the route to the bathroom.

If you are a caregiver, the most useful gift this winter may be the least exciting one: a closed-heel pair set right where your parent’s feet land at night.

Medical Disclaimer

This article is for general education and does not replace advice from your own doctor, podiatrist or physical therapist. Anyone with diabetes, numb feet, poor circulation or a recent fall should get individual advice on footwear.

Seek prompt care for any foot sore that does not heal, or for a foot that turns red, hot or swollen.

You Might Also Be Wondering

• How to choose safe outdoor shoes as well as slippers, with a quick sole check you can do in seconds.
• A room-by-room home safety checklist for seniors and the family members helping them.
• Exercises for peripheral neuropathy, worth reading if numb feet make it hard to tell when a slipper rubs.

Medical References

1. Sherrington C, Menz HB. An evaluation of footwear worn at the time of fall-related hip fracture. Age Ageing. 2003;32(3):310-314.
2. Kelsey JL, Procter-Gray E, Nguyen US, Li W, Kiel DP, Hannan MT. Footwear and falls in the home among older individuals in the MOBILIZE Boston Study. Footwear Sci. 2010;2(3):123-129.
3. Menz HB, Auhl M, Munteanu SE. Effects of indoor footwear on balance and gait patterns in community-dwelling older women. Gerontology. 2017;63(2):129-136.
4. Koepsell TD, Wolf ME, Buchner DM, et al. Footwear style and risk of falls in older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004;52(9):1495-1501.
5. Munro BJ, Mickle KJ, Menant JC, Steele JR. Shoes on trial: does a safe shoe exist for older people? International Society of Biomechanics Congress, 2009 (conference abstract).
6. Menz HB, Morris ME. Footwear characteristics and foot problems in older people. Gerontology. 2005;51(5):346-351.
7. Kim IJ, Hegazy F. Enhancing footwear safety for fall prevention in older adults: a comprehensive review of design features. Ann Geriatr Med Res. 2024;28(2):121-133.
8. Menant JC, Steele JR, Menz HB, Munro BJ, Lord SR. Optimizing footwear for older people at risk of falls. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2008;45(8):1167-1181.
9. Robbins S, Gouw GJ, McClaran J. Shoe sole thickness and hardness influence balance in older men. J Am Geriatr Soc. 1992;40(11):1089-1094.
10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Check for Safety: A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults. 2005.
11. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, STEADI. Assessment: Timed Up and Go (TUG).
12. American Podiatric Medical Association. Frequently Asked Questions About the APMA Seal Program.
13. Medicare.gov. Therapeutic shoes and inserts.
14. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Diabetes and Foot Problems.