The Bath Lift Store

Basic Facts of Your Bathroom and Safety From The Bath Lift Store

Whether you are a senior who get around just fine or one who has mobility issues, your bathroom is a place you want to be very aware of safety.

As a builder myself, I know that bathrooms are often small and cramped.  You barely have room to turn around and if you are in a wheelchair it is even worse.  This is just the one room in the standard house that has not gotten a lot of attention.  However, as more of the population ages and more and more are over the age of 65 each day, I think more attention will be paid to having room to move around in the bathroom.  Most accidents occur in the bathroom up to 80 percent according to the National Safety Council.  Most seniors injure themselves by falling.  With this in mind, lets take a look at what you can do to stay safe in your bathroom.

Universally the one thing that should be in every senior’s bathroom is the grab bar.  They are a necessity around the toilet and bathtub.  Other areas people tend to grab are around the towel bar.  It is as if they confuse the grab bar with the towel bar.  I cannot tell you how many towel bars I have seen pulled out of the wall.  Maybe we should start using wall supports behind the towel bars just in case?  You cannot have to many grab bars located around a bathroom but if you have to few you could be asking for an accident.

Have you ever fainted?  When you knew you were going to black out what was the first thing you think to do?  Grab for anything to keep from falling right?  Having that grab bar in the bathroom could make the difference of slowing the fall or not.  A bathroom is full of sharp corners and hard materials like ceramic tile.  That grab bar could save your life.

Another area is the height of toilets.  Today a senior has the choice of a standard toilet or a handicap height toilet.  You can add a seat extension, buy an automated lift seat and utilize the handicap height to make raising yourself from a sitting position easier.

All through life I have fussed and tripped over scatter floor rugs.  We call them scatter rugs because we scatter them everywhere.    Scatter rugs have no place in a bathroom with seniors.  As we age we tend to drag our feet more than lifting.  Shuffling along and scatter rugs do not mix.  Many people fall because of the rug and there is just no reason to tempt fate.

When you were young jumping in and out of the bathtub was no problem.  Fast forward 50 to 60 years and guess what, it is a problem….Getting in and out of a tub is your mission.  You have many choices based on your individual needs.

You can choose to place a shower chair or a shower bench in the bathtub.  You can install a hand held shower to make it easier to bath.  If you really like to soak in a tub you can also opt for a battery powered bathtub lift.  There are many bath lifts to choose from depending on what you want.  What ever you choose remember you have to always guard against falls.  Put no slip strips or pads in the bottom of the tub to aid against slipping.  Be sure you have grab bars ideally located to help steady you as you step out of the tub.

Do you take medication that causes you to be light headed when you get up quickly especially when you have been sleeping?  I have first hand knowledge of this problem and I have the head scares to prove it.  When you get up at night headed to the bathroom be sure you have a lighted path to the bathroom.  Do not get up and feel along the walls when you are disoriented.  When you get into the bathroom turn on the lights.  Your lighting needs to be bright enough that you see things clearly.  Remember wait to move to be sure you are all right before proceeding to the bathroom.  You do not want to fall and hit your head on tile and sharp corners.

Safety in the bathroom is a choice you need to make.  You can do simple things and add assistive products to help you avoid an accident in your bathroom.

The Bath Lift Store