How to Make Your Elderly Loved One’s Bathroom Safer
There is no doubt that elderly live-in care at home gives older adults a more outstanding quality of life. However, their home can be full of hazards and concerns, putting their health and safety at risk. To give you peace of mind and ensure your loved one is safe and secure in their bathroom, here are some adaptations you can make.
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Install Grab Rails
If your elderly relative has poor balance, they may struggle to get in and out of their bath. One of the biggest causes of bathroom accidents is using a towel rail as support, but as you can imagine, they’re not designed for this purpose. If your elderly loved one has sufficient upper body strength, it may be time to install grab rails that give them something to hold onto for support.
Consider a Shower Chair
Shower chairs can help give your elderly loved one stability and make showering much more manageable. If your loved one likes to shower but struggles with balance, a shower chair may be the answer. Shower chairs should include slip rubber tips on the legs when picking one out. This will stop it from sliding around. Shower chairs can be beneficial for individuals with various health and mobility issues.
Protect Against Slips
In an ideal world, your elderly relative’s bathroom will feature non-slip flooring. However, if this isn’t the case, now is the time to do something about it. The last thing you want is for your loved ones to trip and fall, as they can become seriously injured. Thankfully, there are non-slip mats you can purchase from beautifulbathroom.net that can be placed in front of the toilet, sink, or bath for protection.
Rethink Storage
When your elderly loved one is having a shower or bath, they need to have the essentials within easy reach. Whether it’s shampoo, conditioner, or shower gel, having the necessities within arm’s reach will mean they won’t have to stretch or bend down to get them. You can purchase a shower caddy that can be mounted on the wall to house all the toiletries they need.
Add More Lighting
As your elderly loved one age, they may start having vision problems. This means it’s vital you add more lighting in their bathroom and hallway so they can navigate where they’re going. Lighting can have a significant effect on bathroom safety. Should there not be enough of it, poor lighting can contribute to slips and falls. If your loved one needs to go to the toilet at night, having more lighting in place will lead them and reduce the risk of accidents.
If your elderly loved one is living independently, it’s natural to have all sorts of worries and concerns when you’re not with them. When it comes to their bathroom space, all the tips above will add more protection, which will help your loved one get around with ease without the risk of trips and falls.
