Bathroom Safety and the Elderly or Mobility Impaired

Daily living safety products for use in the restroom.

As we all know, with aging comes many changes to your body that must be met as new challenges and can interrupt the lifestyle you once were familiar with.  These new changes can also mean developments in how we engage with the environment and how we conduct our everyday life. 

The bathroom is an area of the home everyone visits several times a day, not to mention one where privacy is required.  But the mobility required in the bathroom and the prospects of hazards in the bathroom environment can suggest extra care is needed for those with impaired mobility due to aging or a handicap.  So, additional cares are required to avoid the possibly embarrassing, risky, or maybe fatal scenarios for the mobility impaired. 

Thankfully , if you're aging or have a friend or family member who is aging, be assured a bathroom can be outfitted to make it safer, more comfy, and more accessible for those who need a little additional help and support.  Here are a couple of them :

Grab Bars - A Grab Bar is just a lengthy bar fastened to the bathroom wall with fasteners or suction to assist with sitting down / standing up and moving around in the bathroom.  Bathroom grab bars are typically found along the walls of handicapped toilets in public bathrooms for an identical purpose.  Mounted either vertically or horizontally , depending on needs, these bars typically come in chrome or plastic with a non-slip surface ( handy since hands are often wet when using the bar for showering and/or bathing). 

Raised Toilet Seats - This platform sits over the bowl of the commode so an individual can sit higher on the toilet.  The added height allows for more at ease and easier to sit and stand up from the toilet.  In addition, raised toilet seats regularly provide a wider seating area to lower the risk of falling while sitting or attempting to stand from the toilet seat.  These typically come in either standard sizes toilets or for toilets with elongated bowls.  They also may have options for side arms on the raised seat, adding additional support for those who may have a difficult time holding themselves upright. 

Bath Grips - Tub grips are handles that clamp to the side of a tub, providing and upright handle to make getting in and out of the tub easier and provide additional support while standing  in the shower.  A good bathtub grip provides sturdy support without the use of  tools for installation, won't scratch or damage the tub, and supports high weight capacity. 

Shower and Bath Chairs - Simply a hard plastic and / or stainless steel chair designed for those who may not have the energy or feel too uncomfortable to stand while bathing.  They also scale back the risks of slipping in the shower since the individual is positioned on a sound platform.  These handy chairs come in all styles and sizes and sometimes have backs or come as stools, and some actually have arms for additonal support.  And, for caretakers, there are transfer benches to assist patients with the process of moving to / from the tub. 

Hand-held Showers - Generally, showers and showerheads are attached to the wall in such a fashion they require the bather to turn for rinsing soap.  For those that may require seating during showering or bathing, hand-held showers provide complete shower coverage without the need to maneuver the body.  A good hand-held shower includes a long, durable hose with straightforward and delicate push-button control on the hand-held shower nozzle. 

These are some ways to make the bathroom experience more pleasant and more comfortable for those with reduced mobility.  If you or a family member is experiencing the difficulties of mobility impairment, these straightforward bathroom safety products make living more controllable and stress-free.

Where to Purchase Bath Safety Supplies: Added with Posterous - Home Medical Supplies.