News Edition
Bathrooms are often the smallest room in your home, and that size can make them incredibly difficult to move around in. There are many reasons that someone might make changes to their home’s bathrooms and make things safer for all who live there. Difficulty moving because of age, a disability, or even a temporary injury are all reasons to look into shifting things around in your bathroom. From increasing the lighting to installing an accessible shower, there are several ways to make your bathroom safer and easier to move around in.
Prioritize Light in the Room
Having good lighting in a room is an easy way to prevent falls and injuries while using the bathroom. Poor lighting makes it incredibly hard to see and move around safely, especially as your vision worsens (which is common with age).
Make sure the light switch is easily accessible from the door, and check on the bulbs from time to time to make sure they’re all still functioning. One bulb going out may not seem like much if you’ve got three in there, but postponing replacing it means when the second one goes out, your bathroom will get a lot darker quickly. Installing a nightlight can also help a great deal when it comes to
Limit the Number of Things In Your Way
This may seem obvious, but people often don’t realize how many things they could possibly trip on in their bathroom. Bathrooms are usually one of the smallest rooms in the house, yet they can accumulate things very quickly. Rugs and bath mats that aren’t properly secured on the ground. A stack of toilet paper rolls just in reach to replace when needed. A basket of dirty towels waiting to be washed. All these things logically should be in the bathroom but can quickly clutter the limited walking space you have.
See what things you can tuck away or secure more carefully to the ground. Don’t leave stuff lying around that can have a home on a closet shelf or underneath the sink. The fewer obstacles in your way, the less likely you are to trip and fall.
Install Grab Bars
Grab bars are a necessity when it comes to making your bathroom easy to navigate. In most cases, grab bars are located in showers to make them more accessible and safe for people to transfer in and out of the (usually slippery) area. You can also install grab bars by the toilet to help with sitting down and standing up safely. Evaluate your bathroom for the places that people are most likely going to need more support when moving and install grab bars for exactly that.
Add Non-Slip Surfaces
The most obvious place people are going to slip and fall is in the place where water is all around. Adding a simple non-slip shower mat to the floor of your shower significantly reduces the likelihood of falling. It’s important that you make sure the mat is secured properly because tripping on the edge of the mat while you’re in the shower is still possible.
However, the shower isn’t the only place you could slip on water in the bathroom. Despite everyone’s best efforts, shower curtains don’t always keep all the water in the shower. Make sure you have a bath mat along the edge of the shower to absorb any water that may end up outside the shower. Just like with the shower mat, make sure the bath mat is secure to the floor, so it doesn’t become a tripping hazard.
Consider Adding Another Place to Sit
For many people, standing for an extended period of time is exhausting. This exhaustion often leads to more falls because the person isn’t paying close attention. If you’re one of those people, consider installing another place to sit in your shower or bathroom. A shower bench or chair might be a great help while you’re bathing. You could also install a chair outside of the shower itself if you find yourself tired while you’re standing at the sink (though most just put the toilet seat cover down).
Making your bathroom more accessible entirely depends on your abilities and what you need to make things safe for you. Be honest with yourself and what you need to feel secure when moving around. The most important thing is that you’re safe when moving around your home.
