Patient Safety
How Do You Ensure Your Bathroom Safety For Home Healthcare?
SonderCare Learning Center
SonderCare Learning Center
How Do You Ensure Your Bathroom Safety For Home Healthcare? Everyone relies on their home bathroom multiple times a day. While many of us navigate the room without trouble, it can pose the biggest risks to seniors and those with physical impairments in any part of the home. Wet floors and counters, slippery tubs, high toilet seats: there are many hazards that we don’t often think about until they become real dangers. A safer bathroom means more independence, better healthcare, and personal safety for your aging loved one. Here’s how you can ensure the bathroom is safe for home healthcare.
Having something to hold on to provides seniors with more stability navigating the shower or toilet independently. Grab bars let them use their upper body strength to help themselves get on and off the toilet, in and out of the bathtub, and so much more. These grab bars also aren’t limited to use in the bathroom, though – you can install them anywhere in the home that is needed.
You can wrap a flexible high-grip tape to the grab bars to offer a more secure hold if the user’s hands are wet or can’t hold a strong enough grip.
Bath chairs provide extra stability in the shower. With a stable seat on which to sit for bathing, there will be fewer chances for falls and slips in the tub or shower. Not only are you able to sit while you shower, but the legs of the bath chair are also slip-resistant! It will make sure that there’s less of a chance for emergencies to strike.
Transfer benches are long seats that let individuals transfer from outside the tub or shower to the inside. It means that individuals who cannot step over the side of the bathtub by themselves will regain that sense of independence! Pair a transfer bench with a bath chair to increase the level of safety in your bathroom.
Roll-in showers are a suitable option for older adults, people with physical limitations, or people in wheelchairs. They can roll directly into the shower using a shower wheelchair. The shower should be large enough for the wheelchair to maneuver within the stall. Most roll-in showers have bevelled thresholds that allow the wheelchair to roll over without letting water spill out onto the floor.
Walk-in bathtubs have a built-in door that keeps you secure, a low step entrance, and a comfortable seat with grab bars. Some walk-in tubs come with jets, which can increase the therapeutic benefits for arthritis relief, and the anti-slip surfaces mean you don’t have to worry about accidental falls. For some models and materials, you may even be able to retrofit the existing tub.
With all the water, humidity, and ceramic surfaces, it’s easy for floors to become slippery. Putting non-slip rubber mats in the bathtub or shower gives feet some traction as the user moves in, around, and out of the bathing area.
When it’s time to step out of the tub, make sure that the bath mat is secure to dry your feet and keep the floor from getting wet. A microfiber mat is a good option.
Toilet safety frames help patients sit down and stand up from the toilet with ease, offering a helpful guide and some support when using it. There are different variations of these frames. Some stand on the ground, while others attach to the toilet frame itself. Advanced solutions exist such as powered toilet lift seats like SonderCare Assure Luxury Toilet Lifter which we offer in North America.
Adding height to your toilet seat also makes it easier to sit down. You can choose from a selection of raised toilet seats to suit you or your loved one’s height; some even have handles for added support.
Storage cabinets under the sink can help seniors keep bottles of shampoo or shower gel on shelves instead of on the edge of the bathtub or lying on the floor. Keeping all the items within arm’s reach means less movement about the tub or shower, minimizing the chances of slipping and falling.
A handheld showerhead can work this way – having a movable option lets the user take more control and minimizes movement. If you’re using a bath or shower chair, this flexibility lets the user wash hard-to-reach parts without struggling or worrying about slipping or falling.
These alterations also make the bathroom a safer place for caregiver help. Support can mean helping your senior loved one in and out of the tub and waiting outside the bathroom, or more hands-on care such as assistance with actual bathing, grooming, and dressing.
Install grab bars, which are common bathroom safety equipment. Grab bars are a must-have item for elder care restroom safety. Put down non-slip surfaces. Slippery floors cause many accidents. Increase access, eliminate obstacles, and lower the risk of over-exertion. Enhance visibility and avoid hot water burns.
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