Bathroom Safety Tips & Product Recommendations
It may be surprising to hear, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the bathroom can be one of the most dangerous areas in your home. According to the CDC, every single year, over a quarter of a million people 15 years old and over have to go to the emergency room because they have suffered an injury in their bathroom.
If you take a look at the statistics, over a third of these injuries are occurring while people are showering or bathing. While according to the New York Times, over 14% of the injuries are happening while they are using the toilet.
Diving deeper into the data, these injuries occur more with age, cresting after the age of 85. While alcohol may be a contributor, this particular research didn’t examine that.
One of the most common ways people are getting hurt is when they are entering or leaving the shower or tub. Hard and wet surfaces are extremely slippery and dangerous- 30% of these bathroom injuries being cuts, scrapes and bruises.
Older adults that suffer from weaker bones and muscles and reduced coordination are especially susceptible. In addition, certain medications that are used to modulate heart rate can cause lightheadedness when changing positions from sitting to standing.
All of this together creates a pretty dangerous situation.
Bathroom Safety Product Recommendations
We’ve compiled some top recommended bathroom safety product recommendations below. Check them out and consider outfitting your bathroom, or your loved ones’ bathroom, if they are in any way incapacitated.
It can mean the difference between suffering a terrible injury from a fall and living a healthy life.
Getting In And Out Of The Shower And Tub
It’s important that you invest in some quality safety products to prevent these types of injuries- the ones that occur getting in and out of the bathing area. Specifically, if you are dealing with an overweight or frail person, check out a shower transfer bench to safely transport people in and out of the tub.
Additionally, a portable bath step is another great tool to help you or an incapacitated loved one safely step over the lip of the tub.
Shower Seating Solutions
While in the shower or bathtub, consider using a shower stool, shower bench, or shower chair. All of these bathroom seating options will help prevent slips and falls while bathing, which according to the CDC is one of the most common ways people get hurt in the bathroom.
Adding Grip Security
The CDC also recommends adding tub safety rails in your shower area to help get in and out of the slippery bathing area. For a more permanent solution, you can use a standing security pole– perhaps installing it in an area of the bathroom to help with the shower and the toilet.
Toilet Safety
Another overlooked area is the toilet. Older people, and those suffering from mobility impairments, can benefit from automatic closing toilet seats and automatic flushing toilets. They help limit how much leaning over you have to do to flush a toilet or close the toilet seat after use.
A toilet safety rail will install over or under your commode and provide durable handrails to enable its users to securely raise and lower themselves to and from the toilet.
A toilet seat cushion riser will create a cushioned toilet seat that provides elevation and padding in a pinch. This means that it’s easier to get on and off the toilet.
In some cases, a portable toilet bowl is a smart choice- especially if someone is very limited in terms of their mobility.
Cleanliness
Here’s an interesting one that doesn’t get mentioned often- a grout cleaner! Keeping a shower area clean and mold-free is another important part of maintaining a clean and safe bathing area.
Evaluating all of the bathroom safety statistics, there’s a clear pattern that older adults are more susceptible to injury.
It’s imperative that if you or a loved one are a senior citizen that bathrooms are outfitted with a variety of safety and security installations that prevent or just reduce the potential for harmful falls.