When it comes to the safety of your loved ones at home bathrooms and showers pose many hazards which may result in slips, trips, and falls causing serious injuries. Below are some examples of the main contributing factors to bathroom slips, trips, and falls:
- Wet floors
- Damaged Tiles
- Poor lighting
- Bending or overreaching to access confined spaces
- Obstructions
- Lack of grab rails
- Unsuitable footwear
- Unsafe water temperature
Tips to improve bathroom safety:
- Non-Slip Surfaces
Slippery surfaces, such as tiles or linoleum on the bathroom floor or ceramic bath/shower surfaces, are common causes of falls. Consider adding non-slip materials to your loved one’s bathroom floor and the bath or shower to prevent slips. Non-slip mats are great as they are made to securely cling to your bath or shower floor, so they will not move as you use them. Shower shoes should be considered to prevent slips when walking from the bathroom, the shoes are specially designed to be slip-resistant and quick-drying for safe walking on wet surfaces.
- Installing Grab Rails and Frames
To ensure bathroom safety for your loved ones, grab rails are essential. Grab rails have two crucial purposes: First, they give your loved one a handle to hold onto and will provide the necessary help when showering, standing in the bath or standing up from a lying position. Placing a bar near the toilet is important, it is very easy to lose balance while trying to sit down or get up. Using a raised toilet seat or frame will enable your loved one to sit and stand up more easily.
The best place to mount a grab bar in the bathroom is around the places that are often slippery and hard to get in or out of.
It’s crucial to have the grab rails firmly bolted into wall studs as opposed to suction cup models, which may suddenly come off the wall under stress.
- Bathroom Organization and Decluttering
One of the biggest risks for your loved ones is tripping over items that may cause slips or falls, the risk can be reduced by removing unnecessary items that might cause them i.e. loose mats, uneven floors. A decluttered bathroom will also provide room for easy movement. Make sure that commonly used items like shampoos, soap and towels are within easy reach to reduce the risk of falling when reaching for them.
4. Bathroom Mobility Aids
Another cause of falls in the bathroom includes over-exertion. To prevent your loved one from overexerting themselves, think about equipping the bathroom with accessories that can help them avoid overexerting themselves. A shower seat, a bath seat or bath lift, walk in bath, a perching stool, a raised toilet seat or a toilet frame are some of the best accessories that can help with this.
While some bathing aids are simple in design, they can be a life-changing addition to the bathroom of your loved one who wants to continue living in their existing home. They play a crucial role in reducing the risk of slips, trips, and falls, and they also help to prevent injury to care workers.
- Better Lighting
Poor lighting in the bathroom can contribute to falls, if the room is not well lit consider having bright lights that illuminate the bathroom clearly at all times.
- Water Temperature
Elderly people have thinner, more delicate skin and because of this, they are often at increased risk of burns caused by hot water. Make sure that your loved ones’ taps are labelled clearly hot and cold. You could consider a safe stop button on the taps that prevent the water temperature from accidentally being raised above 38° Celsius.
Visiting Angels Central Surrey help reduce the risk of slips, trips and falls by conducting a property risk assessment when carrying out our initial care needs assessment. This makes it easier to create a safe environment for our clients who may be at risk of falling.
Find out more about our services here.