Did you ever sit back and realized that your bathroom has many hazards that could be life threatening? Look at the hard surface of a toilet, bathtub, towel rack and a counter. Imagine the consequences if someone accidentally hits across any of these! Even he throw rugs that bring warmth to the room can be potentially dangerous on feet getting entangled with them. Falls cause almost 6000 deaths per year and are responsible for injuring 5.1 million people. One slightly wrong judgment, a split second wrong movement or a few drops of water on the floor are all potential causes of a serious accident. And, need we mention how fatal a fall in the bathroom can be?
One needs to be extra careful while making arrangements of providing necessary accessories for a bathroom to be used by the elderly or disabled. The frail and elderly are more likely to have accidents in the bathrooms. Yes, accidents do happen, but we can certainly take measures to minimize the chances of an accident. One should understand the consequences of a fall in the bathroom. It may go to cripple an elderly person and make him or her immobile for the rest of the life. That not only affects the life of the sufferer, but that of everybody else in the family. Given below are the ten most important, yet easy to follow, measures to enable everybody have a safe and enjoyable bath.
Safety Tip #1
Water has a tendency to stick around for a while even in dangerous places. That makes it imperative to have a bath mat just outside your shower. Safety grid or rubber brush mats are better as they provide more friction on wet floors, thus reducing the chances of slipping. Moreover, they are stiffer than better-looking throw rugs and safer for being used with walkers.
Safety Tip #2
Glass can prove as fatal as water. If the bathtub has any glass doors, get rid of those along with the frame, the latter may hold fragile toes. Instead, have a shower curtain on a shower curtain rod. There are a few reasons for this, but the most important is the danger of getting cuts followed by bleeding, the excess of which may cause death.
Safety Tip #3
While considering strength and balance, a tub transfer bench does away with stepping in or out and provides an easy access while in a sitting mode. That’s not possible with glass doors or in a shower-only stall. Mind you, tub transfer benches are not shower or tub chairs that completely sit in the tub or shower.
Safety Tip #4
Given the present state of economy, everybody wants to cut costs at all levels and medical equipment is no exception. The most basic bathtub chair or a shower bench would be the cheapest. But, addition of accessories like arm holds, and back adds to the price. Don’t forget that Medicare regards the entire set up a luxury, except for the 3-in-1 bedside commodes. Why not eliminate all that with a plastic patio chair, which you may already be having? It’ll be great if you have one with arms and a back.
Safety Tip #5
Irrespective of the design and style of the bench or the chair, it must always have a non-slip mat beneath it and make sure that all the four legs of the chair or bench rest on this mat all the time, more so if you are using a plastic chair. As it’s not possible to adjust the height of a patio chair, one tends to lean forward while standing up. Make sure that you have properly placed grab bars.
Safety Tip #6
Diagonal Grab Bar is not desirable. It’s not difficult to understand the logic that a seated person needs a horizontal bar for better load-distribution while getting up from that position. Likewise, for stepping into or out of a bath, keep the bar in a vertical position. A diagonally placed bar may cause the frail hands to slip downward! Make smart and logical placements of these accessories.
Safety Tip #7
Built-in shower seats make an attractive seating arrangement but they do get wet and increase the chances of a slip. Having a folded towel on its surface provides a better traction. Of course, the towel gets wet and pads a frail bottom and your loved ones would thank you for that.
Safety Tip #8
Make use of suction cup grab bars, they are of great help. Yet, for additional assistance at the time of getting in or out of the tub, have a grab bar installed. A word of caution about suction cup bars! These are not really foolproof and may pull a tile off the wall, depending on the load applied. Nevertheless, their set up needs no tools and these are portable with the added advantage that you may shift their position as and when needed.
Safety Tip #9
You can’t and shouldn’t rely on the safety offered by a towel rack, shower rod or even the washcloth rack provided in the shower. At the most these can hold the weight of a wet towel and anyone needing the assistance of a grab bar certainly weighs more than a wet towel. However, it may be worthwhile to have grab bars installed while renovating the space for added safety. These can double-up as towel racks too.
Safety Tip #10
Having a shower, be it on a bench, has healthy affects on our mind and body. We may find it difficult to appreciate, but falling water on the body at varying temperatures has a calm and soothing effect that offers a healing affect. Of course safety should be on top priority but one should protect one’s health also. Make sure to enjoy this healthy exercise by taking measures to ensure that the strength, mobility and balance are not compromised.
Are you aware that 70% of all falls in a home occur in the bathroom, making it the most feared part of the house? Yet, we can’t do away with the bathrooms. These ten safety tips enable you to move ahead with confidence and caution.
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