Age, Independence and Safety in the Bathroom

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Age, Independence and Safety in the Bathroom
Hygiene is an important part of our personal
health regime. Age, onset of arthritis, loss of
energy and strength, mobility and dexterity
changes, as well as major illnesses due to
weakened immunity systems, can make everyday
activities a struggle. The bathroom is one of the
two most dangerous rooms in a home (the kitchen
is the other) and our senior years make it more
difficult to feel safe in a bathroom. Shaky hands
and weakened grip, as well as unsteady balance
and lack of mobility, will affect many tasks in
the bathroom e.g. cleaning teeth, toileting,
shaving, bathing and showering. Tailoring
solutions to the individuals needs is paramount
to overall safety and independence.
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• Depending on a seniors health issues, special
  aids and adaptations should be identified to
  keep bathing or showering as independent and
  safe a task as possible.
• Changes in eyesight can also present
  difficulties.
• Staying Safe
• Possible risks in a bathroom include-
• locking oneself in the bathroom
• falling because of a weakened frame e.g. unsteady
  balance, or general weakness due to illness
• slipping on a wet floor
• being unable to stand from a seated position e.g.
  after toileting
• falling in the shower after standing for too long
  a period
• slipping when entering or exiting the bath or
  shower
• not recognising how hot the water is on the skin.
• - Locking Oneself In
• Privacy is a human expectation, particularly
  during self care in a bathroom.
• Locking the bathroom door is a natural thing to
  do and expect.

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-Solutions A double-sided lock will allow the
individual to have the promise of privacy, with
the inbuilt safety element of help being at hand
in an emergency.
- Falling Age brings instability and falling does
happen. Knocking against a hard surface (e.g.
the corner of a wash hand basin or pillow for
bathtub) may cause bleeding and even
unconsciousness. -Solutions Place grab rails in
appropriate places and close enough together to
allow the individual to hold another grab rail
before letting go of the other. Depending on the
size of the bathroom, a walking frame could give
support to the individual, if there is enough
turning space available.
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- Slipping on a Wet Floor Washing, as well as
shaving, at the wash hand basin can make the
floor wet.
Stepping out of a bath or shower can leave quite
a lot of water on the floor. Slipping could
cause broken bones, as well as damage to any
part of the body in the resulting
fall. -Solutions Choose floor tiles which have
rough, rather than shiny, surfaces, to reduce
the chance of slipping.
Stone tiles absorb spilt water, reducing the likel
ihood of
slipping. Grab rails will again prove useful in
the bath / shower (entering and exiting) and
immediately outside the bath / shower, to steady
the user during changing location and to hold
onto whilst drying oneself, or preparing to sit
down.
- Being Unable to Stand from a Seated
Position Rising from a seated position on the
toilet can be a challenge for people with
balance problems or weakened frames. Weakened
grip can also contribute to the difficulty.
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-Solutions The average toilet has a height of 17
inches (42.5 cms.) and it is possible to
purchase toilets with a height of 20 inches (50
cms.) and 21 (52.5 cms.) inches. This extra
height makes it easier to get into a standing
position.
An extra thick toilet seat can also give extra
height, making standing a little easier. A
shower chair with wheels can fit around the
toilet bowl. Some designs have a hole cut out of
the shower chair seat, so that toileting can be
done from there. Appropriately placed grab rails
will steady the individual when getting into a
standing position. - Falling in the Shower after
Standing for too Long a Period Falling in a
shower could lead to banging ones head and upper
body against the shower screen and possibly
breaking bones. -Solutions Appropriately placed gr
ab rails will give the individual the support
needed when standing in a shower. Using a shower
seat will take the pressure off the legs and
allow for a more pleasurable bathing experience.
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c ustomerservice_at_essentialaids.com A shower mat
is a must, to give the user a firm footing with
the wet shower base. - Slipping When Entering or
Exiting the Bath Slipping when entering or
exiting a bath could prove fatal. -Solutions The
importance of grab rails cant be
underestimated. For bathing comfort, a bath board
can be attached to the width of the bath, to
allow for easy entry and exit. For added safety,
choose a bath board which can be locked into
position. A bath mat inside the bath is a must,
to prevent the user slipping when getting in or
out of the water. - Not Recognising Water
Temperature Ageing can lead to thinner skin.
Thinner skin medication for some health
conditions, as well as neurological damage, may
lead to not recognising that water is too hot for
the skin. -Solutions Fitting anti-scald mixing
valves in the bathroom will eliminate the
dangers of scalding and keep the individual safe
whilst bathing or showering.
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c ustomerservice_at_essentialaids.com Bath, Shower,
or Wet Room Which is Safest? When it comes to
bathing or showering, for most of us, its down
to personal choice. One can relax in a bath but
cannot get the same sprawled pleasure from
time spent in a shower. When health problems come
into the picture, a bath or shower may not be a
choice available to the individual. The following
points may need to be addressed- the individual
who has epilepsy may feel safer in a shower
being unconscious from a seizure could prove
fatal in a bath of deep water having a balance
difficulty might rule out standing whilst
showering
climbing into a bath may prove unsafe for people w
ith weakened frames, general weakness, poor grip
and shakiness bathing can lead to splashed water
finding its way to the floor, making slipping
and falling likely

a shower screen keeps water from the floor, as it
acts like a barrier whilst showering or
bathing If a shower is your choice, space within
the bathroom may be needed for opening the
shower screen outwards, to allow the
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• individual to enter and exit the shower or
  shower-over-bath facility.
• Bath
• Baths now come in different designs, shapes and
  sizes, including short, regular and long baths
  lengths, round baths, P-shaped baths and
  jacuzzis. Each has its own merits but all
  depends on the space available.
• Shower-Over Bath
• By fitting a shower screen over the edge of the
  bath, the bath now twins as bath and shower.
• A shower screen can be either one pane of glass,
  or a folding shower screen.
• One pane of glass needs space within the bathroom
  to be

opened outwards, for both entering and exiting the
bath-cum-shower. A folding shower screen need
less space than a single pane, as folding it
reduces its width.
A sliding shower screen is two panes of glass
which, when entering or exiting the
bath-cum-shower, slide side by side next to each
other.
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- Shower Standalone showers need not much more
than a square metre of floor space.
With a full shower door, there will need to be
another square metre free in front of the shower
for the shower door to open to full
capacity. Some showers come with double panel
bi-fold doors. Due to their folding ability,
they need less clearance space in front of the
shower unit. - Wet Room Wet rooms dont have a
door and the floor is angled to go down slightly
towards the back of the showering area, so as to
keep used water flowing down the drain and not
out of the front of the showering area. Entry
into a wet room doesnt have a risen floor to
tackle and so the individual can enter the
shower in a shower chair which has wheels, or in
a wheelchair.
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Eyesight Changes With age as well as with
disability, changes in our vision can make tasks
take longer and be somewhat more difficult.
Colour contrast can play a big part in getting
around e.g. white walls and blue towels. The
contrast in colour makes identification
easier. Spotlights directed to important areas
(e.g. the light switch, the toilet, the shower /
bath and the wash hand basin) will make working
in those areas more comfortable. Light from above
is less challenging than wall lights which can
shine in ones face and cause discomfort. Summary
Personal hygiene is paramount to good
health. For safety and security in the bathroom, t
ake your health conditions into consideration
for safe bathing and showering. It is important th
at shower screens are made of thick, toughened,
safety glass. Quality glass looks good for
longer. Shower screens now come with handles,
shelves and towel rails, making ergonomic use of
the space available.
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c ustomerservice_at_essentialaids.com A folding
shower screen allows more space to the individual
for entering and exiting the bathing area. Clean
the glass after every use, to prevent soapy films
building up and to keep the screen looking good
for longer. Consider fitting anti-scald mixing
valves, to be certain that water doesnt become
too hot for safe bathing / showering. For
elderly, infirm and disabled people, a
double-sided lock makes a lot of sense, as
seconds of delay with entry could change the
outcome for the worse. Ambient lighting is more
comfortable to all. Blog an Originally Posted
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