Building an Elderly-Friendly Bathroom
Think the bathroom you have in your house is safe for your elderly parent? It may not be as safe as you think. The elderly are highly at risk of debilitating falls in the bathroom, and it’s no wonder—bathrooms are full of hazards, including slick floors, high obstacles to step over, cluttered items to trip on, and low seats to maneuver. Here are a few tips to make your bathroom safer and more accessible to the elderly.
Install parallel grab bars. Grab bars can give the elderly something to hold onto when lowering themselves onto a toilet or into a tub. The bars should run parallel to the floor and be installed alongside the toilet as well as in the tub or shower. It’s also beneficial to fit a vertical grab bar on the wall in the bath tub, so that bathers can more easily leverage themselves up if they fall or sit in the tub.
Install higher toilets. It can be difficult for the elderly to sit down and stand up from the toilet. A typical toilet is approximately 38 centimetres from the ground. An elderly-friendly toilet can be as much as 45 centimetres high. This can be achieved through a custom-installed toilet or an elevated toilet seat that can be removed and added as needed. Higher toilet seats make it easier and safer for the elderly to use the bathroom.
Add bath and tower seating. The tub is a common place for accidental slips, especially among the elderly. For some, standing for prolonged periods in the shower can be difficult—and for others, lowering oneself into a bath or standing afterward can be dangerous. You can make your bath and shower more elderly accessible with a shower or bath seat. Shower seats can be portable and can even come with holders for soap and shampoo. Bath seats allow bathers to sit while washing in the bath.
Don’t use bar soap. Bar soap can be dropped. It’s difficult for some elderly people to bend down to pick it up, and it can cause risk of slips if it’s left on the floor. To keep your bathtub and shower safe, install soap dispensers with liquid soap. This is easier to use and can’t be dropped or slipped on.
Make sure your flooring is non-slip. The bathroom is often a damp environment, and surfaces are often slick for easier cleaning—but that can contribute to added risk of falls in the elderly. Make sure the flooring in your bath and shower is non-slip—as well as the tiling on your bathroom floor. Be wary of thick bath mats that can be tripped on.
Keep it clutter-free. Avoid lots of items in the bathroom that could cause dangerous falls—including towels on the floor, multiple shampoo and soap bottles that can be dropped, and small accessories that can be knocked over. When knocked on the floor, any of these can be a fall hazard for an elderly person.
Keep it well-lit. Falls are also likely when groping for a light switch in the dark. To reduce risk, install a night light to allow for easy access of the bathroom lights at night. This can significantly cut the risk of falls.
Add a bath door. If you have a bath and shower unit, it might be difficult for your elderly family member to step over the edge of the tub—especially after washing up, when the floor is damp and slippery. Make it easier by installing a tub with a door that can open, or replace your tub with a stand-up shower with no lip at the bottom—if your elderly parent can stand for long periods of time.
Keep it on the ground floor. Chances are the elderly person in your family is sleeping on the ground floor—stairs can be difficult to negotiate. If that’s the case, keep his or her bathroom on the same floor—preferably accessible directly from the bedroom. This way, your elderly family member has a shorter and safer trip to the bathroom in the dark and during the day.
Taking care of an elderly parent often requires refitting many of the areas of your house to accommodate their needs. It can take some study and preparation, but the level of safety it adds is worth it. Follow these tips, and you can reduce the risk of dangerous falls and injury in your bathroom.