Top 5 Bathroom Safety Tips For Senior Citizens

Top 5 Bathroom Safety Tips For Senior Citizens

More senior citizens have decided to age in place than ever before, presenting the challenge of adapting the home to meet their needs. The bathroom, a place of necessity, becomes more dangerous due to its wet environment, which increases the potential for falls and broken bones. You, as a caregiver, can help your seniors make their bathroom a safer place by putting in shelves, grab bars, and turning the bathtub into a handicap accessible bathroom shower. Following are the top five bathroom safety tips that help you get the job done.

1. Place Grab Bars in Strategic Places

Grab bars make it easy to swing a leg over a high-sided tub and support oneself during the move. It also helps stabilize the body and control the center of gravity during the movement. Have your senior show you how they maneuver their way into their bathtub, and follow where they place their hands for the ideal placement of the grab bars. The bars come in different types of installation methods that include suction cups and mounting with screws, both of which are sturdy and strong.

2. Install Shelves to Reduce Distance for Picking Up Bottles

There’s always a risk of a slip and fall when reaching for a bath product that’s a distance away from the tub, or in an inconvenient spot. Shelving for items like shampoo bottles and soap serves to put them in easy reach of the user. The need to stretch and/or bend to get the desired bath product is eliminated, and enables the user to stay upright and balanced.

3. Update the Bathtub With a Step-in Feature

Showers are known to be safer than bathtubs for seniors as they don’t require stepping over a side, and the chances of getting stuck in the tub are eliminated. You can convert a bathtub to a walk in shower with the TubcuT™ conversion system which consists of removing a portion of the side of the tub. The conversion is done quickly and is reversible at any time. The open side is enclosed with materials that match the color of the tub for a seamless appearance, along with improved safety for your senior.

4. Raise the Toilet Seat

Aging hips and certain health conditions can make it difficult for a senior to sit down and stand up from the toilet. The best solution is to raise the toilet seat and reduce the distance needed to get on and off. Fortunately, you don’t need to install a whole new toilet as there are toilet seat risers that fit over the existing seat or can be clamped into place. Some seats feature handles to make it easier to stand up and sit down.

5. Add Rubber Mats and Non-Skid Decals to the Floor and Tub

The floors and tub bottoms get slippery as they’re used for the bathroom’s intended function. To make them safer, eliminate fabric rugs and put down non-slip mats in their place. For the tub, place textured decals or stickers on the bottom of the tub. Both of these additions allow a senior to safely use the tub and sink without the risk of slipping and falling on a wet surface.

Call TubcuT™ to Find Out How We Can Turn a Bathroom Into a Safe Place

At TubcuT™, we’re experts when it comes to converting a bathtub into a shower. Our conversion process takes a regular bathtub and turns it into a shower with the least amount of impact on the bathroom and tub. You don’t need to install an expensive step-in bathtub with gaskets that are prone to leaking, and we’ll restore the bathtub when the shower stall is no longer needed. Call us today to learn more about how the TubcuT™ works and why it improves bathroom safety.