A Safer Tomorrow: The Importance of Easy Shower Access 

A Safer Tomorrow: The Importance of Easy Shower Access 

Aging in place is a goal for many people who don’t want to leave their homes but who also understand that they may need to modify their environment to live comfortably and safely as they get older. Aging in place is about more than just staying home. It’s about adjusting the existing structures and fixtures to ensure nothing in the home will hurt you. One of these adjustments involves your tub or shower. As you get older, your bathtub may actually become an obstacle. However, there are ways around — and through — this fixture.

Understanding the Risks of Traditional Shower Designs

Many homes have combination tub and shower fixtures that require you to step over a tub wall, even if you’re going to take a shower instead of a bath. If your mobility has been affected in any way, that simple step can lead to falls or to you avoiding bathing because you’re having such trouble getting in and out of the tub. You could trip if your foot catches on the side of the tub, or you could find yourself stuck in the tub, unable to step over to get out. You could slip while trying to balance on one leg as you move the other over the tub wall. If this sounds like excessive worry, think about the last time your knee or back hurt and how much slower moving around was. Now, picture trying to raise your leg over the side of the tub. It can be much worse for seniors with mobility issues.

The Role of Non-Slip Surfaces in Preventing Falls

Before anything else — in fact, you may even want to do this now while you’re still contemplating what to do about the tub wall — you need to install non-slip surfaces both inside and outside the tub. Many times, the area outside the tub is taken care of by adding a mat with a non-slip backing that grips the bathroom floor. The interior of the tub can have something as simple as non-slip, grippy stickers. The stickers and mats should be secure enough to let you stand even when the tub floor is wet. These non-slip surfaces do exactly what you think they do: They prevent you from slipping. However, those non-slip surfaces aren’t the only modifications you’ll need.

Installing Grab Bars: A Critical Safety Measure

Next, you’ll need grab bars. These are those bars you see on the sides of shower stall walls; sometimes you see them on the top ridge of the tub wall, but if those aren’t placed carefully, they could create another trip hazard. As for the ones on the shower stall wall, you’ll see them placed vertically, horizontally, and diagonally, depending on the size of the stall, the specific location of the bar, and the height of the person who normally uses the shower and tub. These bars allow you to grab onto something in case you do slip and fall. They’re a critical part of keeping you and anyone else who uses the tub safe and sound.

Some grab bars are portable; they stick to the wall with suction cups or adhesive pads. These are better than nothing, but they’re at risk of falling if you place too much force on them. You’re better off installing permanent grab bars that are anchored into the wall. If you fall and grab one of those, you should be able to slow, if not completely halt, your fall. Even slowing your movement is good, as it allows you to regain your balance.

The Impact of Easy Shower Access on Daily Routines

Finally, there’s the issue of shower and tub access. If you find it hard to get in and out of the tub — again, even if you’re taking a shower and not a bath — you’re going to have trouble bathing. That can impact your daily routine as you might decide you can’t go out because you haven’t bathed. At the same time, it would be great to be able to install a handicap accessible walk-in shower, which can be expensive. A better solution is to lower the tub wall, and that’s possible by making a cut in the side of the tub. Companies that do this can seal up the open sections of the tub to create a clean, neat opening on the side that’s much easier for you to step over. Walk-in tubs in Lehigh Valley, PA, let you resume your daily routine because now there’s no problem getting into the tub to bathe.

If you need to modify your tub wall in order to have a safer and more comfortable bathing environment, contact TubcuT™. That one cut is enough to turn the obstacle of the tub wall into an easy path back to your normal routine.