Bathroom Safety for Elderly

If you have an elderly person at home, you will know how dangerous the bathroom is for them. Whenever they use it, there are chances that they might slip on wet floors or even if the floor is dry, they might slip on the linoleum or tile flooring. They may not be able to keep their balance and any time, anything might happen. Usually when a person falls down in the bathroom, they might break their hip joint or even hurt their back. So you have to be very careful when you build your house. Here are some tips on bathroom safety for elderly. Follow these safety tips and your bathroom will be safe and secure to use.

Tips For Safer Bathrooms

These tips will tell you what all you can install in your bathroom in order to prevent any kind of accidents and ensure safety for the elderly as well as for everyone in the family.

Bathtub
Most accidents occur in the bathroom, while the person is trying to enter the bathtub or get out from it. Once they get in, they might have difficulty in getting out from the tub. Their hands are not as strong as they used to be, so they cannot lift themselves out easily. So it is best that you install grab bars with the tub, so that they, that is the elderly person, can lift themselves out from the tub holding on to the bars. You can install these bathtubs. You can also remove the traditional bathtubs and install the walk-in tubs, which will be safer for the aged as they do not have to lift themselves up.

Bathroom Rails
Whether you have a bathtub or walk-in tub, it is best that you have rails around it. This is a tip so that while the person is using the shower, he/she does not slip and fall down. So, install these rails and make sure that they are fixed to the wall properly.

Bathroom Mat
Several times it happens that even though the person gets out of the tub safely, when they put their foot on the bathroom mat, the mat slips and a major accident might take place. So, another tip is to buy a rubber mat for the bathroom. Some of these mats also have suctions cups which prevent the mat from moving from its place. Besides this, you can also stick the mat to the ground with the help of sticky tapes. They will also prevent the mat from moving.

Toilet Seat
Elderly people with knee problems might face problems while siting on the toilet. So, what you can do is, there are two types of toilet seats that you can buy. There is one plastic seat which once fitted, can be lifted by at least 5 inches. Or, you can also get the adjustable seat that can be raised to around 6 inches higher than the normal height of the seat. For ensuring safety, you can also have the carpenter make a wooden base for the base of the toilet bowl, so that it is high enough for the aged to sit.

Bathroom Handles
Fix handles around the toilet seat area and also around the bathtub area. The aged might face a problem while using the toilet, hence, they can grab on to the handle and support themselves. Make sure that you nail the handles properly using the best quality nails. Do not use towel rods as the support handle, as they will not be able to take the entire weight of the person using it.

Lighting
Install proper bathroom lighting for the elderly. Old people have a weak eyesight so they cannot even see properly in the lighting which might seem bright to young people. So ensure that the bathroom has proper lighting facilities and it also has a night light facility.

Remove Medicines
Elderly people have the tendency of confusing their medicines with other medicines. So medicines that you keep in the bathroom cupboard, should be locked away so that the elderly cannot get hold of them. Any expired medicines have to be thrown away. Also do not keep any sharp objects in the bathroom.

If you follow these safety tips, then you can ensure the safety of not only the elderly but even if you have any handicapped person staying with you. Ensuring the safety of the elderly and making senior health a priority is a responsibility of the young. So even though these safety measures might cost you a bit, the safety of the elderly always comes first.