Bathroom Safety for the Elderly 101

The elderly, in America experience a bathroom accident or fall very often. The statistics show an alarming number of bathroom falls per second. While we are quick to secure other parts of our home, we often tend to forget to secure our bathrooms with adequate safety measures. 

bathroom is one place where one cannot accompany his/her loved one. According to the numbers, every few minutes, an elderly person suffers a fall in the United States of America. Therefore, taking adequate measures to ensure bathroom safety in the house is absolutely essential. Here are a few safety measures that one can take to avoid unfortunate incidents in the bathroom:

Lighting : One of the most basic requirements is adequate lighting in the bathroom. Sometimes, our sense of aesthetic takes the better of us and in the name of interior design and fad, we render our homes ill-equipped for the people we love. 

Ensure that not only your bathroom, but the path leading up to it is also well-lit. Make use of night-lights and white light to help the elderly members of your house to be able to navigate inside and find their way safely to and back from the bathroom. 

Grab Bars : A very simple, efficient and inexpensive addition to your bathroom can be the installation of grab bars. Grab bars are large handles installed at important points in your bathroom so that, not only the elderly, but even children who may lack balance at a certain age, are able to find support. 

An additional hack can be to wrap scotch gripping tape around the grab bar for better grip. There are different grab bars for different locations in the bathroom. Find the right bathtub grab bar here or wall grab bar or maybe a suction cup grab bar will better suit your needs. 

Bath Benches & Shower Chairs : As we know, the elderly struggle with body balance. Ascending age can make you lose body balance and more so in the bathroom with uncomfortable movement. 

Installing a bath bench or shower chair increases shower safety. It provides support to the elderly or differently abled. Sliding shower chairs and benches enable them to get transferred into the tub safely without hazards of falling or slipping. Get the most cost effective bath benches for the safety of your loved one today. Shower chairs on the other hand come with a rubber tips on their legs, this prevents them from slipping in the shower. Secure your loved ones with the safest shower chairs here

Raised Toilet Seats : The regular toilet seats may be too low for the elderly. With the decrease in flexibility and weakness that comes with age, the elderly usually find it difficult to bend low or sit on a low lying toilet seat.

Using raised toilet seats with grab bars enables them to use the toilet with ease and comfort. Additionally, it reduces the chances of falling and of not being able to get up once on the seat. Put your loved ones’ comfort above everything, get raised toilet seats today.

Toilet Safety Frames : A step ahead of grab bars, toilet safety frames are a strong grip of support in the bathroom. They are adjustable steel rods with rubber grips that enable the elderly to use the toilet safely. They are also available for the bathtub and serve as reliable support during shower and tub use. 

The best part is that their height and width is adjustable to suit the adult using them. But ensure that the frames are installed properly and with professional guidance to avoid accidents. Get the best toilet safety frames for your safety here.

Bath Accessories : Over and above the essentials mentioned above, there are additional bath accessories that also play an important role in bathroom safety. 

An example of this can be installing a handheld shower along with the fixed shower will help the elder to use it with greater ease. This accessory  makes it easier for the elderly person to adjust the water pressure and therefore prevent a slip or fall in the bathroom. Installing shower valves may also help. Explore bath accessories for your safety here. 

Commode Chairs and Liners: Having a sanitray bathroom is of the utmost priority, more so in the case of the elderly. Not only does this have to be for health reasons but bathroom safety as well. For example: using commode liners provides a safer and more hygienic manner to dispose of waste. 

Commode chairs have wheels for easy accessibility of the elder or disabled person and are a convenient option for someone who needs help or is/has been injured. Get commode chairs and liners here. 

Bath Safety Mats : Since we’ve established that the elderly tend to lose balance with age, it is essential to supply them with bath safety products. A non-slip bath mat is a simple and affordable product that may prevent major accidents. 

The grip provided by bath mats prevents the elderly from slipping and falling. Placing 2-3 non-slip mats in your bathroom in a tension-free manner will increase the safety level of the loo for your loved ones. Get bath mats for the safety of your loved ones today from. 

So let’s not leave any scope for our bathroom to be an accident-prone area. It should be a place where the elders and young ones of the house can be left on their own without having to worry about their safety. Small sanitary and safety steps taken by us and Med On The Go can help make the bathroom a safe and accident-free place for us and our loved ones.