Making Bathrooms Safe for Seniors

As people reach their senior years, the importance of safety reaches a whole new level. Because our bodies become more fragile during our senior years, falls can cause serious and even fatal injuries. The elderly can’t recover as easily or as well as younger adults when they experience the impact of a fall so extra precautions must be taken.

Even homes can pose hazards to a senior’s health, particularly in areas like the bathroom that have wet, slippery and solid surfaces. Precautions must be taken to make sure a bathrooms are safe for the elderly to use. Here are a number of steps from www.senioralertmedical.com:

Equip showers and surrounding walls with sturdy grab bars anchored to wall studs so they can support the full weight of an adult
Consider installing nonskid tape or mats on the floor of a shower or bathtub.
A shower chair is also a safe solution that can be easily placed where balance is a challenge.
Flexible handheld shower wands with an on/off button might be easier to use than a traditional shower head.
Toilets can be replaced with ADA-approved raised-height models to lessen the chance of a harsh fall

March 6, 2013 Grab Bars NJ