The bathroom can be a hazardous place for older people, especially those who suffer from mobility problems.
Slippery, hard surfaces alongside trip hazards, scalding water and low toilet seats can all cause potential dangers or, at the very least, difficulties for the elderly or less mobile person.
Here are our top tips for making your bathroom safer for the older, less mobile user.
- Replace your bathroom tiles with a non-slip surface. Because bathrooms are wet all the time, it can be dangerous for the elderly and people with limited mobility to move around. Swap porcelain/ceramic tiles with rubber or vinyl flooring for a less slippery surface.
- Install Grab bars and rails in the bathroom, on the bath and inside the shower to minimise the risk of falls. A set of bathroom grab rails provide a very affordable and effective way to support an elderly user while they’re using the bathroom.
- Remove bath mats and any loose rugs which can create trip hazards.
- Older people often find it difficult to get up and sit down and might need extra support with this when using the toilet. Fitting a raised toilet seat, ideally with supportive arms, should make it safer and more comfortable to use the loo.
- Install a walk-in shower to remove any trip hazards that come with a cubicle-stye shower unit. Or use a small ramp or rubber threshold seal to cover the small step/entrance to the shower unit.
- Inside the shower you should fit a sturdy plastic shower seat to allow the elderly person to shower while sitting comfortably and safely. If you would prefer not to fit a permanent shower seat you could use a simple shower stool instead.
- If the bathroom only has a bath, it can become incredibly difficult and dangerous for an elderly person to maneouvre themselves in and out of it. A bath lift can significantly improve bathing for the elderly and people with mobility issues. Likewise, an adjustable bath seat used in conjunction with a bath support bar can make bathing safer and more comfortable.
- Change the bathroom taps to a lever-style handle or use a simple tap turner on the existing taps to help the elderly person, especially one who might suffer from arthritis, to turn the taps on and off with ease.
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April 2023