Making Bath Safety Comfortable and Convenient

Here are a few tips to help make safety in the bath more comfortable and convenient for you or a loved one.

• Having a telephone or pull cord near the toilet allows someone who has fallen or having troubles the ability to call for help
• When looking for the best place to house a loved one keep in mind that the bathroom should ideally be in a direct path from the bedroom of the person in care
• The ideal height for the sink is 32”-34” from the floor
• Make sure there is enough room for two people to access the bathroom sink
• Make sure toilet paper is within an easy reaching distance, in order to avoid straining muscles (back) and to prevent falls 
• If needed add an elevated or raised toilet seat
• Place heat lamps in the ceiling, to provide warmth when exiting the shower

More Senior Bath Safety Tips

• Install guard rails around the toilet or use a portable toilet seat that has them built in.
• Make sure every sharp corner and edge is cover, preferably with some kind of rubber cushioning
• Make sure your electrical appliances have a ground fault interrupted (GFI) feature and/or install GFI outlets
• Don't use glass shower doors. If you do have them, they can be replaced with unbreakable plastic
• Don't use towel racks as a grab bar, install one around your vanity instead
• Be sure to have lights in your medicine cabinets in order to reduce that chance of making a mistakes while taking medicine.
• Make sure your hot water thermostat is set below 120° F.

Bath Safety Products

There are multiple products on the market today that are important in ensuring safety in the bath. Below is a list of some products that are useful in maintaining that safety.

Transfer bench: helps you get in and out of the bath safely.

Shower Stools : are seats in the shower that help prevent you from slipping.

 

Grab Bars (Safety Bars): are attached to the walls of the bathroom as well as on the sides of walk-in tubs. These help you move around in the bath safely, buy providing additional places to put your hands and stabilize your body.

 Security Rails : are hand-holds that are attached to the sides of the bath or toilet

Walk-in bathtubs : are accessible tubs which are easy to get in since they have a water tight door which allows you to access the bathtub. Once in, you sit on a raised seat while the bathtub fills up with water. They limit the need to climb over the edge of the tub to get in and out, thus helping to reduce falls.

Hand held showers : are shower heads which are mounted on the shower wall and can be detached for washing ones self while seated on a shower stool

Seniors and Bath Safety

Bath safety is an important part for the health of seniors. People who are 65 years or older account for more than 75% of slip and fall deaths. If the bathroom is not equipped to the needs of seniors it can become one of the most troublesome rooms in the house for them. Side-effects from medications, poor eyesight and limited mobility further affect seniors safety in the bath.
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Bath Safety Tips

Practice these safety tips to help limit mishaps in the bath:

• Put anti skid and non-slip mats in your bath and next to it.
• Make sure the bathroom floor is dry.
• Limit objects in the bathroom layout in order to allow easy access
• Put grab bars in your bathtub and shower..
• Use impact-resistant fixtures in your shower and bath..
• Keep all electrical switches and outlets away from water.
• Make sure bathroom door locks can be unlocked from both sides.

Bath Safety Methods

Before entering the bath be cautious of the following:

• Parts of the bath that can be slick
• Parts of the bath that are harder to maneuver around
• Parts of the bath that may be dangerous
• Any fixtures in the bath that are hard to access, use or clean

Bath Safety Month

January is Bath Safety Month and to help spread awareness we will be posting helpful bath safety tips and articles to help educate on the sometimes overlooked dangers of the common bath. Water may seem harmless, but when combined with smooth surfaces it can impose a serious risk. Bathrooms are the most widely used room in the house and can also be the most dangerous. One of the most common threats in the home is falling and about a third of those falls happen in the bath.   

In a report by The Consumer Product Safety Commission, the United States, has an average of 370 people a day suffer injuries in the bath, with slips and falls being the main reasons. These accidents are the second leading cause of accidental death and disability. Everyone is at risk, but those with restricted movement, such as seniors are more inclined to be injured in the bath.