The bathroom is a needed room in the home. Talk about an understatement, right? Each and every day, the bathroom is required by all of us. There’s no need to get into the details of what goes on in the bathroom. However, it is important to stress the need to keep bathrooms safe, especially when elderly people are using them.
Do you live with elderly loved ones?
If so, your bathroom can actually be a hazard. Needless to say, bathrooms present numerous opportunities to slip and fall. The slippery surfaces that are tiles and bathtub floors are commonly the cause for slips and falls. And for senior citizens, slips and falls happen all too often, causing major injuries.
“About one third of the senior population over the age of 65 falls each year,” reports Comfort Keepers, “but since many incidents go unreported by seniors and unrecognized by family members or caregivers – this estimate is most likely quite low. Falls are the leading cause of death from injury among people 65 and older, and the risk of falls increases proportionately with age. At 80 years, over half of seniors fall annually.”
What can be done to safeguard bathrooms?
The first and perhaps most obvious step would be to place non-slip mats on the floor and in the bathtub or shower area. That way, it will be a lot easier for users of the bathroom to avoid slipping and falling. Especially since elderly individuals tend to have limited strength and balance, a walking surface that is unlikely to cause a tumble is a necessity.
“You’ll find plenty of slippery surfaces in a bathroom,” Justin LaFazia of HandyWorkx Access & Mobility reminds us, “The shower or bathtub floors are often slippery, making a fall likely. If water gets on the bathroom floor, the bathroom floor can become slippery as well. Add non-slip surfaces to the floor of the tub or shower, such as non-slip decals or non-slip mats that reduce the chances of a fall. Adding non-slip decals to bathroom tile floors can also prove helpful.”
Grab bars are your friends!
Grab bars also make for excellent additions to bathrooms. Because strength and balance are often limited for seniors, these sturdy elements automatically help for slips and falls to be significantly reduced. Grab bars – as their names inform us – allow for bathroom users to grab on and stay steady.
“Add grab bars throughout the bathroom to give loved ones something they can hold onto to prevent falls,” insists LaFazia, “They can be used by the toilet to help seniors get up and down from the toilet. They can also be installed by the tub or shower, providing something stable to hold onto while entering or exiting the tub or shower. Choose grab bars that are slip-resistant, and ensure they’re securely installed to studs in the wall to make sure they offer enough support.”
At LifeCare Mobility Solutions, we’re happy to offer grab bars as part of our long list of home bathroom modifications. To learn more about the many ways we help to make bathrooms safer, please don’t hesitate to call us at 647-350-4488 or email us at info@lifecaremobility.ca. You may also contact us by filling out the form on our Contact page!
