We spend a lot of time in the bathroom. In a sense it can be a fun place to be, we make ourselves look good, feel clean and fresh and so much more. But as we grow older, it may become quite dangerous. We get scared of missing a step and falling to the ground, slipping and falling in the shower or bath, and the list goes on. But the bathroom doesn’t have to be a stressful place as we grow older. Safety is essential for senior living and primary consideration when designing a bathroom or doing remodeling in your home. This post will discuss some tips for making your bathroom senior friendly.
- Consider grab bars
Grab bars are placed in the bathroom to offer sturdy support to the elderly. Thus, allowing them to move freely. The best places to install these grab bars in the bathroom are around the shower, sink, or on either side of the toilet. While doing this, avoid using cold, sterile rods for installing the bars. Fortunately, these bars can be designed to fit the existing décor of your home. You can even use textured handles for more gripping and many of them have a bit of a designer look, no longer sticking out like a sore thumb.
- Make it non-slippery
A bathroom can become slippery when it’s wet. However, you can prevent elderly falls before they happen. When retiling your floor, consider anti-skid tiling, or you can apply some anti-slip coating to your existing floor if you don’t want to rip out the old flooring. You should definitely use it in the bathtub or shower where elderly falls are most common.
- Redesign your shower
A conventional shower can trigger an elderly fall. To make your bathroom senior-friendly, consider a wheel-in or walk-in shower design. This applies to tubs as well. It will prevent slips and falls in the elderly.
- Shower seats
Some seniors have mobility issues and have difficulty moving around in the bathroom. Therefore, consider including a shower seat in addition to the grab bars. You can either build it into the existing shower or separately. Fortunately, it can be matched with the specific needs of a loved one.
Aside from remodeling your existing bathroom design to become senior-friendly, there are other safety measures you can take, such as:
- A telephone mounted on the wall of the bathroom close to the shower/bath and in a location where a person can reach it if they were on the ground.
- Ensure the bathroom door can be easily opened from both sides
- Proper lighting is essential. A brightly lit bathroom will assist a senior to see clearly, especially if they remove their glasses to shower or bath. Ensure all bulbs are functional
- Finally, there are plenty of steps to preparing your bathroom to become safe for senior citizens. Spend a moment in your bathroom and seriously look around, what is helpful and what’s a hazard.
These are only a few ideas, the ones we see as most essential, but we are sure if you take the time to look inside your bathroom and consider what could be harmful in any way, you will find others that require your attention.
When it is time to consider senior living for a family member, https://www.elderlink.org/ should be your first choice. We are the oldest and best rated Senior Livings Referral Agency in all of California. One call does it all, 800 613-5772