Adapting Your Bathroom for Aging in Place: A Realistic Guide
Staying in your own home while you age is what most people want. It’s comfortable, familiar, and filled with memories that matter. The problem is the bathroom. What has been easy for decades can be difficult after mobility or balance issues begin.
The good news is that with some thoughtful and creative bathroom changes, aging in place becomes possible again. There’s nothing sad about it. It can be liberating.
Why The Bathroom First?
There’s a reason why the bathroom is usually the first area a family starts to think about. The hard surfaces, the water, and the act of bathing all conspire to make it a safety issue.
Getting in and out of a standard tub becomes impossible with each passing year. Slippery wet floors become unforgiving. Reaching for something in the wrong place can suddenly become an issue.
It doesn’t happen overnight, which is part of what makes it difficult. A family member might be okay one week, and then the next they feel “off” after a cold or after an exhausting work period.
Focus on The Shower or Bath
The shower or bath area is usually where the greatest issue arises because this is where the biggest challenges are located. Getting in and out of a standard bathtub with high sides can legitimately become an issue when mobility problems arise.
Many families find it helpful to look at proper bathrooms disabled people can navigate safely, which typically include walk-in showers with level access or walk-in baths with low thresholds. These designs eliminate the need to step over high edges, removing one of the main fall risks immediately.
Walk-in baths offer an alternative should individuals prefer to bathe as opposed to shower or standing in a shower becomes a challenge. Which option families choose will depend on what each individual prefers.
Walk-in showers are designed for individuals who want to get in and out quickly while walk-in baths are designed for those who enjoy a good old-fashioned bath or even those who use baths to help soothe arthritic joints or assist with circulation issues.
Know Where To Place Features
Grab bars can offer significant help, but only if the person knows where to put them. They need to be beside the toilet bowl, in the shower or bath, and next to the area where someone gets in and out of the shower or bath.
A good grab bar should be well-installed and not just something that is leaned against and that can come loose. Grab bars should not be confused with towel rails that look like they can hold things but are not well-suited to catching a fall.
Properly installed, these bolt-into-the-wall fixtures should be capable of holding somebody up in the event they slip, so they don’t fall down.
Grab bars look aesthetically pleasing these days and are not limited to looking like they’ve just been installed in a hospital bathroom. They can even match the existing fixtures in the bathroom.
Horizontal grab bars are also better for standing while vertical or diagonal grab bars help when sitting and standing up. It’s also worth having a seat or a bench in the shower because many people become exhausted standing up while they shower or bathe.
Other Adjustments To Consider
Changing the shower floor to a non-slip surface does not take away from the aesthetics of the bathroom but improves the safety of the area.
Consider using something other than a big ceiling light that casts shadows where proper light is needed but rather utilizing natural light to the best effect possible.
Changing the layout of where things are situated in the bathroom is also key for many people as this is typically a smaller space that requires some serious reorganizing.
Rethink The Toilet Area
The toilet area itself might need considering as the toilet bowl itself is probably lower than it once was, which makes getting up and down more difficult than ever before.
Most standard toilets today are not designed to assist someone getting up or down as many knees and backs age at the same time. A comfort height toilet is about 2 inches higher than a standard toilet.
A simple addition might suffice where an add-on toilet seat that can sit on top of a standard potty might be all that’s needed. Many people find that a wall-hung toilet works best as it can be mounted at whatever height the toilet user needs.
Consider placing grab bars beside the toilet as well for extra assistance, which can help an individual with a changing body.
Storage Solutions Matter
The most storage areas in bathrooms also require bending down or reaching up, neither of which can become a challenge with age.
As such this may also be an area where individuals need to consider reorganizing. Another suggestion is to ensure that everything someone uses regularly is situated in an area where they can reach it without a problem.
Consider a handicapped-accessible medicine cabinet, pull-out shelves, and something other than shoeboxes filled with items that will help people find what they need in a hurry as opposed to searching for what they need all day.
Make Changes For The Future
A bathroom should be modified with an eye both on what someone needs today but also what they may need in the future, which helps ensure that no one has to deal with this again in a hurry.
Consider a walk-in shower with a built-in bench that might not be needed today but might be necessary tomorrow.
If an apartment is being modified, it’s essential to ask for permission first but also plan to ensure that blocking is done in the correct areas so grab bars can be added later without it being too much trouble over time when the need arises.
Proper bathrooms do not just accommodate issues related to mobility but sense.
Aging adults still need to feel comfortable and at ease in their own homes and when it comes to bathrooms, it’s important to still make some room changes to help aging adults adjust to using their space and not fearing the use of one of the most important areas of their homes.