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Senior Bathroom Safety
For $10 Or Less
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More slips, falls and other accidents happen in
the bathroom than in any other room of the
house. It's no different for seniors.
Unfortunately, seniors don't have the sturdy
bones, quick healing capabilities or the general
resiliency of younger people. An accident in the
bathroom can have serious consequences.
While you can't ever totally guarantee against
senior bathroom accidents, there are quite a few
things you can do for free or under $10 to make
the bathroom as safe as possible for an older
person...and of course that also means safer for
everyone.
1. Keep the bathroom free of clutter. A
senior-safe bathroom is as empty as possible.
Crowded shelves lead to dropped items, dropped
items lead to bending and stooping, and bending
and stooping lead to falls for the elderly.
Likewise, extra decorative items take up
maneuvering space. Clothing, towels and other
personal items on the floor are invitations to
trips and falls.
2. Store toiletries, first aid supplies and
other bathroom necessaries where they are easy
to reach without bending, stooping or
stretching. Frequently used items should be
stored as close as possible to waist level
because seniors are not as flexible as they used
to be.
3. Install the brightest possible bulbs in
all the light fixtures. Older eyes need more
light than younger eyes.
4. Get all rugs and mats off the bathroom
floor. They may look nice, but even
rubberized "non-slip" mats can catch a toe and
cause a tumble. Find a place to hang the bath
mat between uses. If the floor is cold,
encourage slippers.
5. Use a rubber tub mat in a color that
contrasts with the color of the tub or shower
bottom. Older eyes may have lost some depth
perception, and they don't see as well without
their glasses. As well as preventing slips, a
red, blue or green bath mat will stand out
clearly against a white background and make it
much easier for a senior to see where feet
should go.
6. Provide an extra roll or two of paper
that can be reached without twisting if the
installed paper roll holder is tricky to reach.
7. Exchange all glass containers for plastic
or other unbreakable material. This includes
decorative items, which in a bathroom should
never be fragile or breakable
8. Plug in a night light with battery
back-up. Or, put a few strips of
glow-in-the-dark tape on a sturdy waterproof
flashlight and keep it where it will always be
visible and easy to reach on its own special
hook. In the event of a power failure, anyone in
the bathroom will be able to find and turn on
the light.
9. Remove the door locks or turn them around
so that the door cannot be locked from the
inside. In the event of an emergency no one will
have to break any locks. An alternative is to
make sure all locks are the kind that can be
opened from the outside with a straight wire,
but those cost more than $10.
10. Set the water temperature at no more than
120 degrees so that it will never scald or
burn anyone's skin, senior or otherwise.
So, for less than $10 you can make your bathroom
much safer for seniors. Of course, there are
quite a few more things you should seriously
consider to reduce the danger of bathroom falls
and accidents. You'll find more information
about making a senior's bathroom safe on the
following pages:
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