Handicap Shower Safety
Showers and the elderly or disabled can mean squeaky clean or surely injured if care is not taken to ensure safety. One fall can cause a downward spiral for quality of life and independence. To avoid becoming one of nearly 5.1 million who are injured in falls, take action on the following 10 safety tips. Everyone will benefit.
Safety Tip #1
Water tends to stick around for a while even in dangerous places. You MUST have a bath mat outside your shower. Safety grid or rubber brush mats provide secure traction on wet surfaces, are stiffer than the pretty throw rug and safer with walker use.
Safety Tip #2
Glass can be just as deadly as water. Many bathtubs have sliding glass doors. Remove these (and the frame which can catch fragile toes) and replace them with a shower curtain rod and shower curtain. There are several reasons for this, most importantly, the danger of cuts, bleeding and potential death from falling into that glass.
Safety Tip #3
When balance and strength are an issue, a tub transfer bench eliminates stepping in and out and allows easy access from the seated position at all times. This will not work with glass doors or in a shower-only stall. Tub transfer benches are NOT shower or tub chairs, which fit entirely inside the tub or shower.
Safety Tip #4
Today's economy is pressing money saving measures from every angle. Medical equipment does not have to be the exception. Your most basic shower bench or bathtub chair will be the cheapest. Prices climb, though, when you add a back, arm holds and other accessories. (Remember Medicare considers the entire set up a luxury -- exception being a 3-in-one bedside commode.) Skip the entire cost by using a plastic patio chair! You likely have one, with a back and arms too!
Safety Tip #5
No matter what type of bench or chair you use, ALWAYS use a no-slip mat as well. This mat MUST contain each leg of your chair or bench (inside the tub) especially if you are using a plastic patio chair. Sitting height is not adjustable on a patio chair tending towards more pressure against the slippery floor to try and stand. Use caution and grab bars.
Safety Tip #6
Diagonal Grab Bar placement should be avoided. Rule of thumb follows that for pulling up from a seated position place the bar horizontally. For stepping in and out assistance place the bar vertically. Diagonal placements can allow frail hands to slip downward on the very aid that was designed to help. Smart placement is the key.
Safety Tip #7
Built-in shower seats look good in a picture but can become a water slide in reality. Simply place a folded towel on this surface to provide more traction. Yes, the towel gets wet and yes, it pads a frail bottom and yes, your loved ones will thank you for that.
Safety Tip #8
Suction Cup grab bars are great! BUT... if you need moderate assistance to get in and out of the tub, stick with an installed grab bar. Suction cup bars are not fail proof and can pull the tile off a wall given the proper load. However, no tools are necessary to set up, they are completely portable and boast flexible position changing as needed.
Safety Tip #9
Do not trust your safety to the shower curtain rod, the towel rack or the washcloth rack in the shower. These were designed to hold a wet towel at the most... and every one needing grab bar assistance weighs more than a wet towel. Keep in mind, though, that when building or modifying for safety, installed grab bars make nice towel racks and can then double in purpose.
Safety Tip #10
Consider the health giving effects of a shower, even sitting on a bench. Water of various temperatures on the body can be calming, soothing and healing far more than we realize. Your safety is number one. Protect your health as well. Be persistent in gaining the strength, balance and mobility needed to enjoy this health giving aspect of life.
Questions and Answers
Article Tags:
handicap shower safety
For people with special needs, the very mundane tasks of daily living can become very burdensome to an individual who is either disabled or confined to a wheelchair. A typical trip to the bathroom can require a tremendous amount of patience and can turn into a tedious and sometimes frightening experience.
Most of us put up with our imperfect bathrooms even when we know that we may risk a short term disability from falling or slipping over from wet floors or poorly designed areas. The risk of falling is exaggerated as we age and this is particularly apparent as our mobility decreases yet we continue to try stepping over the edge of the tub to shower and undertaking other difficult tasks. This poses a real risk that we need to consider.
Walk in Showers and handicapped showers with no curb have become very popular to serve the needs of seniors looking to age safely in their homes as well as those living with a disability or catastrophic illness. In the past it was always necessary to step over a 5"-7" curb in order to enter the shower and for some users this obstacle was both difficult and dangerous. For individuals dependent on a wheelchair this curb made it impossible to safely enter the bathing zone...
Bathroom has now become an integral part of the house, as everybody sees it as a place where they can relax and rejuvenate. So bathroom remodeling has become common as each person wants their bathroom to be designed according to their tastes.
Taking a shower standing up can be stressful for elderly and handicapped people. Adding a bath chair is a great solution that offers a comfortable and independent showering experience. Even ADA guidelines stress the importance of seating in a bathroom. While buying handicap showers or handicap bathtubs can be quite expensive, bath chairs are relatively inexpensive. Teak bath chairs are recommended for the many benefits they have to offer.
In the past 10 years the modern bathroom industry has become one of the most dynamic industries in the home and garden niche. Other than the home automation circuit some of biggest advances have been in the bathroom remodeling industry.
Consumers are always looking for ways of saving money on standard household repairs. This being the case, if you are planning to hire a plumber, you will be glad to know that there are a number of things you can do to get quality plumbing services at affordable rates.
Keeping shower in the bathrooms is an excellent and healthy idea. But keeping only shower without attractive shower curtains is of no use. Once the plan arrived to place Shower then along with that order for shower curtains also and organize together.
An average house has several rooms. Each of these rooms is usually meant for certain functions. Some of the common rooms in most houses are the sitting rooms, bedrooms, dining area and the bathrooms
Hence the bathroom vanities ate the items in the bathroom, or in other terms we can say that bathroom vanity is the place where you put anything you need to use when you are in bathroom: tooth brush, toothpaste, towels, toilet paper, bottle of perfumes and also the cleaning solutions, but a bathroom vanity is also the best furniture piece for a good looking bathroom.
A custom glass block shower and base can be tough to design and coordinate. The reality for many homeowners, general contractors, tile setters, and builders is most have done very few specialty showers with blocks. Given this fact being equipped with the right questions and 7 steps to a successful project is often essential to get it done right the first time.
There are many ways a shower can leak and a shower pan leak is probably the most costly. It makes good sense then to determine if the leak you are getting from your shower stall is actually your pan.
Discuss this Article
