For elders, the bathroom is one of the most dangerous rooms in the house. The Canada According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every four Canadian aged 65 and up falls each year, and the National Institute of Aging discovered that 80% of these falls occur in the bathroom.
That being said, the bathroom should be one of the first areas you secure when you or a loved one grows older. This manual will teach you all you need to know to get started.
BATHROOM SAFETY IN GENERAL
Falls can occur during the brief walk into and out of the bathroom. Other falls may occur when performing simple self-hygiene tasks such as brushing your teeth. There are a few basic things you may do to avoid these falls, including:
GETTING RID OF OR SAVING RUGS
Rugs are easily tripped over. Trip and fall dangers can be reduced by removing rugs from the bathroom or fixing them with Velcro or double-sided tape.
SETTING UP A NIGHT LIGHT
Many falls are caused by poor lighting. Installing an automated LED light in the bathroom at night can help keep you or a loved one safe.
STORAGE OF ALL TOILETRIES IN ONE PLACE
Keeping toothbrushes, toothpaste, medication, and other frequently used necessities in the same drawer or cabinet reduces searching, which can contribute to falls.
SAFETY IN THE SHOWER AND BATHTUB
The shower and bathtub are two of the most common places in the bathroom for falls or other injuries to occur. Both the floor and the walls can become slick. Those who already have balance problems can easily lose their balance while bathing or entering and exiting the tub. Fortunately, there are a variety of things available to help keep you or your loved one safe in the shower or bathtub.
MATS FOR BATHROOMS
Bath mats are an excellent place to start when it comes to making your bathtub or shower safer. They have a more rough surface to avoid falls, and most bath mats have hundreds of suction cups to keep them firmly attached to the floor. There are numerous bath mat size options available, depending on the size of your tub and the amount of coverage you prefer.
RAILS FOR BATHTUB SAFETY
Bathtub safety rails attach to the side of the tub to give additional stability when stepping into and out of the tub. They're simple to assemble with little to no tools required, and many are height adjustable or have dual or tri-grip rails to accommodate a variety of users.
Measure the breadth of your tub's edge to guarantee that the rail will fit on it. Check to see if the rail can be used on your fibreglass tub, as many rails cannot be used on fibreglass tubs. The Carex White Bathtub Rail is a fiberglass-safe alternative to consider.
BAR GRAB
Many people will grab a towel bar or soap dish to keep themselves steady in the shower, but this is risky because they aren't made to support your weight. Grab bars can give safe and secure balance when entering or exiting the shower or tub, as well as during bathing. Many of them can even be placed near the toilet to aid with standing and sitting.
Some require drilling, while others are tool-free and may be quickly fastened to the wall with suction cups. These suction bars will usually feature a visual signal that changes from red to green when they are securely attached to the wall. Grab bars are also available in a variety of diameters and lengths to meet your specific requirements. Many of them are textured to provide a firm grip even when wet.
Depending on your needs, grab bars can be set vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, and you may wish to position them on the walls both inside and outside the shower for support during the bathing procedure.
TRANSFER BENCHES
Transfer benches allow you to enter and exit the tub safely by sliding on from the outside. This can be a more secure solution than hold bars or safety rails for persons with substantial balance concerns or weakness in their legs since users can stay seated while entering and departing and while bathing.
Transfer benches are typically arranged with two legs outside and two legs inside the tub. Because tub floors are often higher than bathroom floors, you'll want to make sure the bench is level on both sides.
Before utilising the bench, make sure that both legs inside the tub and both legs outside the tub are equal, and that the bench is stable.
To utilise a transfer bench, sit on the side of the bench closest to the bathtub and slide to the centre, using the arm or handle of the bench for support if present, and lifting each leg over the tub wall. After bathing, slip back to the outside and elevate your legs again, careful to turn slowly without twisting to avoid damage.