We all use the bathroom every day. But, most of the time, we don’t think anything of stepping over the side of the tub to take our showers. We may get annoyed if the shower curtain takes an extra tug to close, but it’s a mild passing annoyance. But, if an elderly relative comes to live with us, suddenly we see these tasks in a whole new light.
There are some safety upgrades that are pretty standard. A shower seat and grab bars are easily installed. But, they may not be enough. What if you are helping to care for someone who must use a walker to get around? A bathroom renovation may be needed for increased accessibility in this case. The following renovations may be a good choice for you.
1. Walk in showers for seniors. It’s easy to trip if you are unsteady on your feet to begin with. While there may be room in other areas of the house for a cane or walker to be used, often these are impractical in a bathroom. If you need to use one of these, it’s unlikely that stepping over the side of tub will be possible for you. On other hand, if the tub is instead a walk in shower, this hazard is eliminated.
The first walk in shower you may picture for someone elderly is the stark and industrial showers like those used in hospitals. While these certainly do the job, they are anything but desirable in your home. But, there are many, many beautiful designs of walk in showers that you can install. The only thing to remember is that many traditional designs will have a small lip to keep the water in. For accessibility, this isn’t desired. However, the design of the shower can be amended to eliminate this and provide a smooth entrance to the shower.
2. Wet rooms. If your bathroom is on the small side, one thing that can be done is to turn it into a wet room. Since these are designed in such a way that the whole bathroom can get wet without damage, it’s much easier to open up the bathroom. This is especially important if you don’t have room to implement measures, such as a partial wall, to hold back water. With a wet room design, the entire floor of the bathroom can be made slip proof and also easily made on one level.
When you have an elderly person come to live with you, you may quickly find that helping them with bathing can be embarrassing for both parties. Yet, with a walk in shower or wet room, it’s very possible for those with limited mobility to wash themselves, thereby providing independence they may have lost, or are afraid of losing.
Bathroom upgrades for accessibility don’t have to be clinical and stark. They can functional and beautiful, with the design of the bathroom itself being part of an accessibility upgrade.
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