Because of its slippery surfaces, the bathroom is a place where slips and falls often occur.
Do you live with your aging parents? If so, you’re undoubtedly concerned about their health and safety. Among the many tasks you have taken on as responsibilities is keeping them safe when they use the bathroom. Add the constant presence of water and you have a room that seems designed for accidents among the elderly.
What can you do to make the bathroom a safer place for Mom and Dad?
Put slip-free mats on the floor.
Many bathroom mats easily slip on the surfaces beneath them when stepped upon. Naturally, this causes a hazard. As well, throw rugs tend to bunch up, presenting an obstacle that an older adult can trip over. A slip-free mat, of course, is affixed to the floor. This helps to make the bathroom floor less slippery as the mat won’t move once stepped on. As a result, your elderly loved one is assisted with keeping upright in the bathroom.
“To prevent slipping on wet surfaces, make sure the floor of your shower or bathtub is slip free,” advises Seniorsafetyreviews.com, “You can do this by adding a slip free mat. But also make sure that any mats in front of your tub or sink are slip free as well. On the outside of your tub, use mats that are fluffy under your feet, but have a anti slip rubber on the under side.”
Remove towel racks.
As their name clearly communicates, towel racks are made for towels to be hung on them. However, towel racks are often mistaken for devices that support a person’s weight. The inkling to grab on to a towel rack to support balance may be too strong for your elderly loved one to avoid. By removing towel racks, your aging parent will avoid the temptation to hold on to it for balance. Grab bars should be installed in their place.
“Towel racks are a great way to reduce clutter in your bathroom,” notes Jaydee Vykoukal on ViveHealth.com, “However, they can be a hazard when used for anything other than hanging or organization. They are not made to support weight, like a bathroom handle or rail. Remove any towel racks in areas of the bathroom that you are tempted to reach for. This will prevent unnecessary safety hazards from loss of balance or even a fall.”
Install raised toilet seats.
Sometimes, the supposedly simple acts of sitting down and standing up are enough to cause a senior to tumble over. To prevent a loss of balance when using the toilet, install a raised toilet seat. This makes it a lot easier for an older adult to get to a seated position and to stand up from it. As Seniorsafetyreviews.com contends, a raised toilet seat can help to prevent falls for older adults who have difficulty getting up and down from a toilet.
“The raised toilet seat means you have less distance to go, requiring your legs to support less body weight,” informs the website, “Raised toilet seats can be easy to install as an adaptive device on a regular toilet, simply swapping out the old seat for a new one. Or you can install an entirely new toilet, the height of a standard chair, which is an easy job for a plumber to do.”
At Advantage Home Health Solutions, we offer a wide variety of high-quality bath safety products. They include transfer benches, grab bars, raised toilet seats and so much more! To learn more, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 403-460-5438. You may also email us by filling out the form on our Contact page!
