The Hassle Of Making Your Bathroom As Safe A Place As Possible

The bathroom has a bad reputation for being one of the least safe rooms in the household. It’s hard to deny, however, that the bathroom is known for its slippery surfaces. Add the presence of water, which is obviously necessary there, and you have a room where slips and falls are imminent. Unfortunately, statistics don’t lie.

“Falls are the leading cause of home injury deaths with nearly 6,000 lives claimed per year as a result of falls in the home,” reports, Kimberly Alt on ASecureLife.com, “Falls are an especially common home injury threat for the elderly. Every year, one in every three Americans 65 and older suffers a fall that often leads to moderate or severe injuries and increases the risk of early death.”

Evidently, we must all take steps to ensure that our bathrooms are as safe as possible. As alt points out, this is especially important in homes of elderly people. Naturally, seniors are among the most susceptible to slips and fall in the bathroom.

Make All Surfaces Slip-Proof

Perhaps, the first and most obvious step is to turn the slippery surfaces of a bathroom slip-proof. This is usually done by placing bathmats in the bathtub and rugs with rubber backings on the floors. It’s imperative that the rugs have those rubber backings. Throw rugs are commonly known for being tripping hazards. The last thing you want to do is add yet another danger to the bathroom.

Add Grab Bars in the Bathtub and Next to the Toilet

Grab bars are well known for helping people to stay upright and maintain the good balance in the bathroom. As you may have guessed, they are especially helpful for elderly individuals and those with mobility issues. While grab bars are intended to prevent slips and falls, they give bathroom users something to grab onto if they do slip.

Be Sure to Install Adequate Lighting

A lot can happen when you can’t see where you’re going. A well-lit bathroom will help users avoid walking into things and slipping and falling simply because they couldn’t see in front of them. Even a simple addition such as a nightlight in the bathroom would be especially helpful to the senior in your home. It’s not uncommon for elderly individuals to make several trips to the bathroom during the night.

Put a Shower Seat or Bench in the Bathtub

Sitting, not standing – this is a great way to increase the safety of a bathroom. From the seated position, it’s a lot harder for a bather to slip and fall in the tub.

If all of the above-mentioned suggestions sound like it would create a bit of a hassle, we can’t say that we’d argue with you. This is why, at Forward Day, we’re so proud of our Shower Bay portable showers. They eliminate the need to make any expensive renovations to your bathroom. Shower Bay can be snapped together in any room of the home where there is a faucet nearby, making the dangers of the bathroom a non-factor for the wheelchair user in your home!

If you have any questions about our Shower Bay portable showers, please don’t hesitate to contact us to ask them. Give us a call at 1-877-223-8999 or email us at info@showerbay.com.