In this blog, learn the best tips about to ensure you have a safe environment in the bathroom for your aged parents. See how you can make a washbasin easier to use, why bathroom handicap bars are preferable to bar rescue, special kinds of flooring, walk in showers, and more to make the bathroom safe for seniors.
If the older adults are in the household, one of their primary concerns becomes their safety, especially for places such as the bathroom. Every home owner knows that the bathroom accident is one of the most common, therefore making the bathroom safe for aged parents reduces the chances of accidents whereby they would have been forced to call for help. In this article, we will discuss about various techniques to providing care and making the bathroom safe for the elderly in the house so that they can also enjoy a comfortable living.
Why Bathroom Safety for the Elderly is Important
Very many concerns exist when managing bathrooms because of slippery floors, hard surfaces, and limited movement. It has become important to reduce fall risk in the bathroom because falls are among the most common incidents that affect frail persons. Just as with the other bathroom tips for elderly safety, it is possible to make changes to the bathroom that will help your parents lead a safe life and continue their daily tasks.
1. Bathroom Handicap Grab Bars for Stability Failure
One of the easiest ways that many elderly people can enjoy safer bathrooms is through installing handicap grab bars on the bathroom walls. These bars provide ready-made aid that will help halt falls especially when the elderly is in the process of getting in or out of the tub or shower. Here’s how to maximize the safety of grab bars:
- Strategic Placement: Put in grab bars at the shower, toilet and any other place that the person may require support.
- Slip-Resistant Design: Select those grab bars that have an anti-slip surface to enhance the capacity to grip it in case it is wet.
- Weight Capacity: Check that each grab bar is securely installed and capable of bearing the user’s weight at any one time securely.
2. Select Flooring that have No-slip features in order to avoid cases of slips and falls.
Smooth floor surfaces especially when wet are a common danger that is associated with the bathroom. Installing floors that do not allow slipperiness is paramount if you want to make the bathroom safe for aged parents. Consider these solutions:
- Non-Slip Mats: Use place mats with non-slip backing at the shower, bathtub, as well as near the sink to lessen slipping dangers.
- Non-Slip Tiles: Whenever possible, avoid the slippery commonly used tiles and go for those that provide the best ground for walking most especially when wet.
- Quick: Dry Bath Rugs:Prefer bathroom mats that are made of fabrics that have a rubber base to enable them to mop the water as they prevent giving the bathroom a slippery look.
3. Help to Lift the Toilet Seat for Everyone
The problem with mobility is that the physical state of elderly people makes it difficult for them to get on and off the toilet which puts them at a risk of falling. Consider these modifications to make the toilet more accessible:
- Raised Toilet Seats: Make a chair for sitting to help cut down on how much it takes to sit down or stand up, help the knees and back.
- Support Rails: Place grab bars close to the shower area and beside the toilet to help the user get support and balance.
4. 96 Walk-in showers Or Bathtubs for ease of access
If the alteration of a bathroom modification for senior citizens, then features such as a walk- in shower or a walk –in bathtub are ideal for enhancing its safety. These features exclude cases whereby seniors are forced to step over high barriers, factors that lead to falls within the elder’s.
- Walk-In Showers: Using a low access well dimensional for a walk in shower means one does not require a step to get into the shower while installing a built-in seating area for use while taking shower.
- Walk-In Bathtubs: A bathtub which seems more like a shower has a low-opening doorway so that the case of seniors falling when attempting to step over a high edge is avoided.
5. Improve Exteriors for Increased Visibility
For any elder with vision problems, lighting is crucial to preventing accidents in a bathroom. A bright bathroom can help avoid falls and allow elderly people to navigate freely.
- Bright, Even Lighting: Throw up efficient LED lights that can brightly light up the bathroom to enhance the beauty of the area.
- Night Lights: Install night lamps around the bathroom in case there is need to use the bathroom at night.
- Motion: Sensor Lights: Mirrors have additional features such as motion-sensor lights that flicker on immediately a person moves into the bathroom to avoid groping for the switch at night.
6. Fix a handheld showerhead to allow you more convenient bathing experience while saving water.
Hand held shower allows elderly to get the shower to a convenient position they prefer since they have more control of the water as compared to using a fixed shower.
- Easier Bathing: For elderly people they may sit on a bench then wash themselves using the handheld shower head comfortably.
- Adjustable Height: They include a handheld showerhead that should have a height feature to enable more usage once installed.
7. Minimize water temperature in order to avoid Burns
Old people are at a high risk for getting burns because their skin is thinner; and they respond slowly. To prevent scalding in the bathroom:
- Set Water Heater Temperature: Decrease the temperature that faucet- or shower-borne water gets heated to, to 120°F or less; this prevents the water from being too hot to handle.
- Anti-Scald Devices: Anti scald devices should be fitted on the faucets and showers to avoid the water heating up too much.
Conclusion – Tips on Ensuring That Your Bathroom Is Safe For Your Aged Parents
It is possible to change certain elements of a bathroom to provide a safer environment for aged parents if you wish to learn how, read this article. Some of the ways to make elderly bathroom safer include; The placing of the bathroom grab bars, the selection of slip-resistant flooring, and better lightning. These changes will not only enhance the functionality and safety of your bathroom but will make you and your loved on better off knowing that everyone can move around the house freely and without worrying of falling.
Safety issues involving the bathroom are one of the factors that mark an essential aspect of helping seniors continue living comfortably and safely at home. With these simple changes around the bathroom, your elderly parents will be able to live without fear of falling and having an accident.