How would you insure your bathroom safety if you have seniors at home?

Shower and Tub Safety Tips
• Grab bars
You can install grab bars at convenient angles to aid anyone with balance and stability problems entering and exiting the shower or tub. Hard plastic bars, which can be moved easily or dislodged, are better than bars fastened to bolts in the wall. A grab bar should have a slip-resistant surface. We don’t suggest using ones with glossy covers.
• Tension pole
Purchase a tension pole if grab bars aren’t an option in your shower or tub. These poles can extend to the ceiling height, and seniors can grab them while taking a shower to maintain balance.
• Shower chair
A shower chair provides stability for people with balance problems and helps those who have trouble standing for long periods relax while taking a bath. We recommend chairs with non-slip rubberized toes.
• Handheld shower head
Bathing is much easier for the seniors with a shower head they can hold in their hands, and also, being able to shower on their own brings them a sense of freedom.
Bathroom Floor Safety Tips
• Slip-resistant mats or rugs
When seniors walk out of the shower or tub, they are more prone to falling. Water will not accumulate on the floor if carpets or rugs with non-slip backings are in place. Since towels can slip on the floor or twist around the feet you should not use them for this purpose.
Toilet Safety Tips
• Raised toilets with ADA approval
Regular toilet seats are around 15 inches in height. However, several manufacturers now offer variants with raised bowls, making it significantly more accessible for seniors to get on and off the seat. A less expensive substitute is a riser that you can install on your current toilet. The height of a toilet riser varies from 2 to 4 inches.
• Grab bars
Consider installing grab bars on the toilet, just as you would in the tub or shower, to make it easier for the elderly’s use.
Bathroom Sink Safety Tips
• New faucets
Some faucet knobs are difficult to hold and turn with arthritic hands. You can replace yours with ADA-approved ones that are more senior-friendly. They also minimize the dangers of losing balance while seniors try to gain leverage.
• The temperature of the water
Reduce the temperature on your water heater’s thermostat to avoid scorching.
Please get rid of slippery slippers if you’re living with your beloved senior. My dad went into the bathroom, and suddenly we heard a stressful noise; you know the noise when you hear it. My dad is not suffering any kind of disease, and that’s why we were so frightened when we saw him on the floor. It turned out he just slipped because of those stupid slippers. After that incident, I tried to level up our bathroom’s safety. I found some handles installed on the wall to safely help seniors stand up or get into the bathtub. I recommend those handles be installed near the toilet and next to your bathtub.
There are a lot of options to choose from while approaching this problem. You can either remodel your whole bathroom or take simple steps to make a few tweaks.
Built-in or around the toilet, safety rails are one of the easiest ways to ensure your bathroom’s safety, as they provide additional weight support when using them.
Walk-in tubs are the safer alternative for seniors and their bathing situation. It nearly removes the risk of falling while getting in and out of the bathtub and ensures their safety.
Non-slip mats are a simple yet highly effective solution for tweaking your bathroom for a safety overhaul. They come in handy for spots that may get wet or squeaky – and for the bathroom, those spots are the entire floor.
If you’re not sure if it’s necessary to make your bathroom more senior-friendly, maybe these statistics will change your mind:
• Around 34% of people over 65 undergo a severe fall that hurts or even kills them.
• Every minute, six older adults suffer a fall.
• Every hour, a senior dies due to a hip fracture resulting from a fall.
• There is a 50% chance that the older adult will lose mobility at each fall, drastically lowering their quality of life.
• 10% of older people who have suffered a fall become too afraid to leave their residence lest they fall again.
If you’re trying to create a secure environment for your older loved ones, having a safely modified bathroom should be your top priority. Setting up grab bars and using non-slip mats to support balance and avoid slipping would be an excellent idea!
A bright light bulb makes it easier for the elderly to see everything while taking a shower, lowering the risk of falls and other accidents. Some seniors might find it challenging to balance themselves or stand for a long time. If this is the case for your loved ones, let them try a shower chair. It provides them with the stability they need and makes bathing more convenient.
Always have clothing and towels ready and put frequently used objects such as soap or shampoo at reachable spots. You shouldn’t need to bend or stretch to get your hands on them. If the water temperature isn’t right, it can cause sudden movements, making the elderly fall. So, always check the water temperature beforehand to ensure it isn’t too hot or too cold for their skin.