Bathroom Safety Products

age in place - a safe place!

Bathroom safety products promote quality of life, cleanliness and save lives!

Cleanliness remains just as important to any human being through all phases of life. The benefits of water don't stop just because the shower seems like an impossibility now.

In my experience, many of my patients started sponge bathing long before they needed home health care. The shower and bathroom remain the most feared room of the house when it comes to bathroom safety and falling (second only to steps).

Loss of balance, coordination and strength begin to force many to stop at the edge of the tub. Writing off the shower/tub seems to be the first line of defense to avoid further or future falls. Although a potentially dangerous area without bathroom safety equipment in place, sponge baths don't have to be the norm.

Let's consider our options for improving bathroom safety:

Install regular grab bars in place of towel racks - now they can serve dual purpose - a towel rack AND a grab bar.

Use a plastic patio chair in place of an expensive shower seat. These have slotted bottoms, arms and a back rest. Be sure your patient does not outweigh the chair. Use two no slip bath mats under the chair to ensure that all four legs are on it.

Use suction cup grab bar on your marble or non-porous sink top for more pull leverage. Be sure it is locked and test it before using!

Take your dangerous glass showers doors off and replace with a wide variety of shower curtains.

Put a piece of duct tape along the carpet/tile transition at the entry way of your bathroom. This makes a walker with 5 inch wheels transition smoother and lessens the likelihood of those back legs catching on the carpet on the way out.

Replace throw rugs with non slip, low shag bath rugs.

foam (home made or store bought)

raised toilet seat

bedside commode

suction cup grab bar

Glass sliding doors are still glass! 55% of all falls happen inside the home and 70% of those falls happen inside the bathroom. Falling into a glass shower door could lead to severe cuts, blood loss and potential death. Remove these (and the frame) and use a rod and curtain for safety and flexibility.

Flexibility? YEP! If your balance or strength and ultimately YOUR flexibility require a tub transfer bench it won't work with glass doors...there's not going to be enough room. If you have a stand up stall only, your wise choice is still to remove the glass and replace with curtains.

Each of these factors will determine what bathroom safety products you need to safely and effectively shower and get in and out of step over tub. (We will assume that a full bath is not an option at this point.)

Shower chair vs. tub transfer bench vs. patio chair?

What do you really need? Bathroom safety products are based on your need. You also need to keep in mind your goals and your budget...
Before renting or purchasing your bathroom safety products, remember... you are doing just that. What does that mean? That simply means that someone has to pay for this product - will that be you or your insurance company or both?

Medicare typically will only cover a 3-in-1-commode (which can triple into a shower chair given the space.) It's not always an option though. Medicare tends to be the benchmark for what other insurance company's will cover but that's NOT the final word... find out what YOUR insurance will cover.

Bathroom safety products are not super expensive but ignoring the significance of the impact of this room for the elderly in your home could have a far greater financial impact. Start now to change things for the better. You can save a hip - even a life!