Bathroom Fall and Injury Prevention Safety Tips
It’s important that you take precautions to keep your senior loved one’s bathroom hazard-free, as the bathroom can be a dangerous place. In fact, more than 230,000 Americans are injured in the bathroom each year according to current CDC data. Additionally, the data shows that falls are the leading cause of injuries in seniors–and 80 percent of falls in the home occur in the bathroom.
There are many elements in the bathroom that can cause serious falls, like slippery floors, broken tiles, improper lighting, hard-to-reach shelves, loose bathmats, and more. Today, our team at Visiting Angels of Coral Springs will discuss seven bathroom safety tips for seniors that can help keep your loved one safe from falls and other injuries.
How You Can Improve Bathroom Safety
Add Grab Bars
Grab bars can be an invaluable asset in your loved one’s bathroom. They offer extra stability while transitioning between standing and sitting on the toilet and while getting into the shower. Grab bars in the shower can also offer your senior loved one an extra point of stability while they wash themselves, preventing slips on the wet shower floor.
Adding Non-Slip Surfaces
In addition to the shower floor, tile, linoleum, and wood flooring in your loved one’s bathroom can become incredibly slippery when wet. To counteract this, you can add non-slip mats to the floors in your loved one’s bathroom. However, you need to be sure that these non-slip mats are placed properly and do not create a new tripping hazard.
Improve Accessibility
Reaching for high-up shelves can lead to falls, especially on wet surfaces. If your loved one needs to reach up to grab their soap, shampoo, or conditioner while in the shower, this can create an extreme fall risk. Move your loved one’s shower and bathroom supplies to reachable heights, adding new shelving if necessary. Many companies make suction-cup shower caddies that can be placed at the perfect height and carry all of your loved one’s bathing supplies.
Remove Tripping Hazards
There are many potential tripping hazards in the bathroom, like scatter rugs, broken or uneven flooring, improperly placed wastebaskets, and trash on the floor. Switch to non-slip rugs, replace any hazardous flooring, move wastebaskets out of the path of walkways, and remove any clutter that your senior loved one could potentially trip over.
Prevent Overexertion
CDC data shows that overexertion is the second leading cause of injury in the bathroom after falls. Make toileting, bathing, and grooming easier for your loved one by adding more stability points to their bathroom. Shower chairs, grab bars, raised toilet seats, and similar amenities can greatly reduce the strain on your loved one and prevent injuries from overexertion.
Improve Lighting
Many elderly adults need to use the restroom several times during the night. This can lead to slips and falls if your loved one’s hallways and bathroom aren’t adequately lit. Add night lights along the walkways of your loved one’s home and use the maximum safe wattage for bulbs in the overhead lights to ensure that your loved one can see where they are going.
Watch Water Temperatures
Keep a careful eye on the temperature of the water in your loved one’s shower, bathtub, and sink. When water is too hot, it can cause painful and dangerous burns. Seniors typically have more sensitive skin, so ensure that the water in your loved one’s bathroom does not exceed 120f.
Learn More About How Visiting Angels Can Help!
If your loved one needs extra help staying safe in the bathroom, our Angels are ready to assist. We can help your loved one with toileting, bathing, grooming, and other bathroom routines. Additionally, we can provide assistance with other daily tasks like dressing, cooking, getting around the house, and more. To get started with a free home care evaluation, contact us directly at (954) 688-9342 or fill out our online contact form!