With up to 80% of falls at home happening behind closed doors, bathroom safety should be a major concern in the life of any individual. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 1 in 3 seniors over the age of 65 experience at least one fall per year. As a person ages, certain health issues that affect vision, balance, and coordination can make falls even more likely, making it necessary to take inventory of specific safety hazards and to invest in bathroom aids to increase bathroom safety for seniors in their own home.

Luckily, most bathroom safety modifications can be made using products that are simple and relatively inexpensive. The following bathroom safety tips and products can help to make any bathroom safer, sparing family members from constantly worrying about a slip and helping seniors feel more secure and independent in their own homes.

Create a Non-Slip Environment

Remove all rugs and other hazards from the bathroom to prevent anyone from possibly tripping. Put a non-slip rubber bath mat on the bottom of the tub or shower to provide a secure and stable environment for bathing. Bath steps are also a great addition to any bathroom and make getting out of the tub safe and easy. It is also a good idea to put non-slip adhesive strips along the edges of the counter or anywhere else where someone may accidentally lose their grip.

Raised Toilet Seats

Bathroom safety can be vastly improved just by raising the toilet seat a few extra inches, and there are a wide variety of raised toilet seats on the market that do just that. Seniors can have difficulty sitting down and getting up, but with a raised toilet seat any toilet can instantly become more functional and easy to use. Arms or a toilet safety frame on the sides of the raised toilet seat make the whole process even easier.

Shower Chairs

For a stable and secure bathing experience a shower chair is a must-have bathroom aid. Those who have difficulty balancing or standing for long periods of time will be able to take care of all of their hygiene needs with ease. All shower chairs come with rubber tips on the chair legs that prevent them from sliding. For people who have a lot of difficulty standing for extended periods of time, a combination of a shower chair and a hand held shower head may be a great idea, making it possible to shower without having to stand up at all.

Add Extra Lighting

Navigation to and through the bathroom can be extremely difficult at night, especially when you add vision problems into the mix. A simple night light can make using the bathroom at night much easier and prevent a senior from tripping on an obstacle hidden in the dark, fumbling around for switches or toiletries, or bumping into door frames or other hard surfaces. Motion activated lights that automatically turn on and off are a good option for seniors with light sensitivity issues or who use walkers or other aids that could keep their hands busy.

Grab Bars

Installing grab bars that are meant to hold human weight throughout the bathroom offers stability to seniors in a variety of ways. Many people tend to use towel bars as weight supports around the bathroom, which can prove extremely dangerous as they are not made to support the weight of a person. If a towel bar is to snap while being used for support, it could easily result in a dangerous injury. Grab bars can be installed on nearly any type of surface and are considered one of the most popular and effective bathroom aids available.

For more information about how to make your bathroom safer feel free to contact us at any time. We’re always here to help you create a better and safer home.

Tags: bathroom aids bathroom safety bathroom safety guide grab bars raised toilet seats