Home falls are common in the bathroom. The combination of water and hard surfaces makes it a higher-risk area. 

As people age, balance and coordination are affected, contributing to the risk of slipping and falling. It’s, therefore, vital to make bathrooms safer for the elderly. 

Thankfully, there are many changes you can make, from small modifications to more significant structural changes, to improve the safety of your bathroom. This blog covers everything you need to know about making bathrooms safer for the elderly.

Common Risks In Bathrooms For The Elderly

First, let’s run through the most common hazards in standard domestic bathrooms…

Slippery Floors

Bathroom floors are often tiled or constructed from vinyl or other slippery materials. When these materials become wet with the moisture generated in the room, they can be extremely dangerous for people who are unsteady on their feet.

Hard Surfaces

It’s not just the floor that’s a hazard. Bathtubs, toilets and sinks, alongside other typical bathroom facilities, are made from strong materials that can cause serious injuries when fallen onto. 

Trip Hazards

From bath mats to floor-standing towel racks and from personal clutter to door thresholds, there are several potential trip hazards present in the bathroom that can cause an elderly person to lose their footing.  

Movement

Stepping into a shower tray, rising from a toilet seat, or lowering down into a bath can all be challenging for elderly people with reduced mobility capabilities. Without support, these actions can easily cause accidents.

Isolation

Many elderly individuals living at home are alone for much of the time, and that means there’s no one around to help if an incident happens in the bathroom.

Poor Design

Making bathrooms safer for the elderly isn’t at the top of everyone’s list; many UK homes are not equipped for the challenges older people face. A poor bathroom design, where it’s tricky to reach the towel or hold onto something for support getting in and out of the bath, is a hazard in itself. 

Consequences

Falling over is rarely simple for older people, and the consequences can be brutal. Slips and falls can lead to serious injury, hospitalisation and a loss of confidence that can make independent living extremely difficult. 

Key Solutions To Make Bathrooms Safer For the Elderly

There are three main pillars when it comes to making bathrooms safer for the elderly. 

Non-Slip Flooring

Because standard bathroom flooring is typically slippery, modified bathrooms that meet the needs of elderly people must feature non-slip flooring.

Non-slip flooring like specially designed tiles or vinyl flooring incorporates a textured surface that increases friction between shoes or feet and the flooring itself. This improved grip reduces the likelihood of slips and falls. 

Grab Rails

Grab rails are short support bars that are easily installed anywhere in the house. In the bathroom, they provide essential stability for elderly people who may be unsteady on their feet and prone to falling.

Grab rails provide something sturdy to grasp for an older person who’s struggling with balance. They can be especially helpful for moving in and out of the bathtub or shower, standing up from the toilet, or navigating wet floors.

Shower And Bath Safety

Replacing existing washing facilities with adaptations can be transformational for elderly bathroom safety.

Level-access showers sit flush with the floor so that individuals don’t need to step over tray edges to enter the showering area. Providing a shower seat reduces the strain of standing for a long time which can cause fatigue, increasing the likelihood of falling. Adding a hand-held showerhead can improve accessibility for bathing, too. 

If baths are preferred, consider a walk-in bath. Walk-in baths have watertight doors and seats, making getting in super simple. A more cost-effective bath adaptation is a bath lift, which gently lowers the user into the bath and out again to reduce joint strain and stress to the body. 

Toilet Modifications

Raising from and lowering down to the toilet can be painful and even impossible for many elderly people. Here’s how to make bathrooms safer for the elderly by changing the WC.

Raised Toilet Seats

Elderly people may be suffering from a variety of conditions that make using standard toilets difficult. Things like arthritis can cause pain and stiffness in the joints, and muscles may become weaker, making getting down and up from a toilet seat challenging. Balance issues can also be an issue, increasing the risk of potential falls.

Installing a raised toilet seat is a simple adaptation that makes bathrooms safer for the elderly. A higher toilet seat reduces the physical strain of sitting and standing and lowers the risk of falls.

Toilet Frames And Rails 

Designed to fit around a conventional toilet, toilet frames provide stability for toilet users who have trouble sitting and standing. They are typically constructed from a coated metal, suitable for humid environments and easy to clean. Toilet frames are portable and easily moved out of the way if needed.

Toilet support rails are another device designed to provide support for toilet users. They consist of a sturdy frame that is typically mounted to the wall behind the toilet or the floor beside it. 

Washer Dryer Toilets

Older people who struggle with toileting due to mobility issues, reduced flexibility, cognitive decline and other problems may find introducing a washer-dryer toilet helpful.

Washer-dryer toilets like this Closomat are ergonomically designed to make toileting safer, less stressful and more comfortable for users. Once activated, washer-dryer toilets run through gentle wash and dry sequences to ensure cleanliness and comfort without fiddly toilet paper. 

Lighting For Bathroom Safety

Well-placed lighting helps ageing eyes get around the bathroom safely, reducing the risk of slips and falls. Overhead lighting should be bright and evenly distributed to eliminate shadows, as these can be confusing and disorientating. 

LED strip lighting can highlight landmark facilities like the toilet, shower, and sink areas. For ultimate safety, consider installing motion-activated lights that turn on automatically. These are particularly useful for nighttime use when navigating a room full of hard surfaces is likely to be more challenging. 

Emergency Measures

Accidents do happen. Because users are often alone in the bathroom, slips and falls can lead to more serious injuries and health problems if not dealt with quickly.

To aid elderly users in the event of an incident, consider installing emergency measures such as pull cords, waterproof buttons, or personal alarm devices. 

Pull cords and waterproof buttons can be strategically placed in the shower, near the bath and next to the toilet. Personal alarms are lightweight pendants worn around the neck that, once pressed, connect the user to a UK-based Emergency Resolution Centre. The user doesn’t need to remember phone numbers or even their personal information, and calls are answered in a matter of seconds, 24/7, providing a truly lifesaving service. 

Emergency devices are crucial to making bathrooms safer for the elderly. They allow older users to access help if they fall, feel unwell, or find themselves in a difficult situation where assistance is required. 

Making Bathrooms Safer For The Elderly Can Be Simple

One of the most important aspects of a safe home for the elderly is an accessible bathroom, but it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming project.

From shower seats and grab rails to a whole bathroom renovation, there are plenty of low-key modifications you can make to improve safety and comfort levels for your elderly user. 

Not sure where to start? Get in touch with the John Ford Group and speak to us about your bathroom renovation project.