It is not uncommon for seniors to become injured while they are showering or using the bathroom. Slipping and falling are the most common types of injuries. To ensure your family member is protected from a severe injury, we have compiled a list of 6 tips to improve the safety of the bathroom in your house for seniors.
Table of Contents
Ways to Make a Bathroom Safer for an Older Family Member
Install a Grab Bar in the Shower
Installing a grab bar in your shower is an important bathroom safety tip to consider if you’re sharing your home with a senior. When a person ages, their balance can become unreliable, leaving them vulnerable to falling. If your family member falls in the shower, they may develop a serious injury such as a broken arm or leg. Grab bars are engineered to provide support to seniors while they are showering. Placing a grab bar near or around the bathtub will also help elderly individuals that climb in and out of the tub. You can also place one near the shower head or higher up on the wall across from the shower curtain if the tub is built into the wall.
Purchase a Seat for the Shower
Installing a shower seat is a quick and easy way to improve the safety of your bathroom. This allows an older adult to sit while showering. More importantly these seats are a must-have for adults with balance issues. There are many different colors and styles of shower seats available.
Lay a Non-Slip Rubber Mat on the Shower or Bathtub Flooring
This product and safety tip is essential for any bathroom where senior individuals or small children will be present. Placing a rubber non-slip mat on the floor of your shower or tub will prevent children and seniors from slipping on the wet flooring. Rubber mats allow traction, which will greatly reduce the chance of a fall. Suction cups line the bottom of the rubber mats; plus, they are usually mold and mildew resistant, making them both low cost and low maintenance.
Invest in a High Toilet
Most of the elderly have an especially difficult time rising from a sitting position. Installing a high toilet that sits about five to seven inches taller than a normal toilet is an essential safety tip to follow to enhance the safety of your bathroom for seniors. This type of toilet decreases the distance the elderly individual needs to rise to a standing position. A plumber can easily install one of these special toilets, but, if this is too costly, there are two other options to increase the height of the toilet you already have.
Another option is to add an adjustable toilet seat which adds about three to six inches of additional height. These usually are made with a supportive bar on either side to help your loved one stand more securely. You can also use a molded plastic seat which adds about the same amount of height as an adjustable toilet seat.
Remove Rugs
Many people enjoy stepping out onto a soft surface when they exit the shower or tub. Rugs are soft and absorb some of the water from your feet as you stand to dry off. In actuality, though, these mats are a huge shower safety hazard, especially for senior citizens. The soft backing on them makes them slippery when wet. If you must have a rug in the bathroom, make sure it has a rubber backing on it to add traction.
Install Easily Accessible & Bright Lights
If you have an older family member living in your house, we recommend investing in accessible and bright lights for your bathroom. This bathroom safety tip will make it easy for seniors to enter and exit the bathroom in the middle of the night. Installing intuitive and bright lights will help a family member with moderate to severe vision loss.
Plumbing Repair & Install Services
If you are looking to enhance the safety of your family members bathroom to prevent accidents, we recommend performing a bathroom remodel. A licensed plumber will be able to help you install a high toilet, support bar, and shower seat to improve the usability of the bathroom. We will also help you find a brand new sink with a beautiful finish to enhance the décor of the bathroom.
In addition, we also provide other types of plumbing and HVAC services in Jacksonville, Florida for water heaters, sump pumps, gas pipes, air conditioners, water lines, and furnaces. Give our team a call by phone at (904) 217-5694 to receive help with a plumbing or HVAC issue. We will help you explore your options and your budget.