Bathtub Safety for Senior Family Members

Whether you or a relative are suffering from decreasing mobility as time goes on, it’s important to maintain a level of safety and comfort in and around your bathroom. It’s understandable that many families don’t have the budget for new walk-in tubs or compact shower tubs, so if you’re looking for a way to improve accessibility within your bathroom without breaking the bank, here are a few suggestions:

Improve Balance and Stability

Grab bars and tension poles are great solutions for increasing elder safety as they get in and out of the tub and can generally be added to existing bathtubs without invasive or expensive construction efforts.

Elders with good upper-body strength can benefit from grab bars to help them move in and out of the bathtub, but be sure to choose grab bars with good grip support and install them within easy, natural reach.

Shower Chairs and Bath Benches

For those who have difficulty getting up from a prone position but cannot stand in a shower without support may benefit from a shower chair with non-slip feet. These work best with a hand-held showerhead and support bars for stability. If the person has trouble getting their legs up and over the bathtub, a bath bench placed at the edge of the tub may help them transfer in and out.

Update or Repair the Bathtub

Many older bathtubs have had new liners or inserts added at some point if not a complete refinishing of the bathtub’s surface. Not only can surface damage to your tub pose a risk to bodily harm in elderly people, the mold growth can exasperate existing respiratory conditions and pose a major health hazard as the inhabitant continues to age.

To restore your bathtub to safe, working condition for the benefit of you or a loved one, contact Seattle Bathtub Guy today.