The 7 Most Common Features Of Every Bathroom - Part Ii

Most people prefer to soak in a tub when they bathe. But lack of safe lowering and lifting devices means that many older people, people with joint or muscles issues and heavier people can no longer soak. They lack the strength, flexibility and support to get up and down in the tub safely. Unfortunately, the desire to soak is so strong that many people create elaborate and risky processes to be able to continue to get down in the tub. I actually interviewed a lady who got down into her tub, but could not get out. She did not fall and was not injured. She simply could not get herself out. She was there for two days, until the fire department pulled her out. I know countless people who kneel, roll, back, turn, and twist in every way imaginable to get into their bathtub. Watching an older person who still bathes alone go through one of these gyrations can be a very frightening thing to watch, especially for loved ones who had no idea all the effort their spouse or parent was going through to get into and out of the bath. VERY DANGEROUS!

The use of ADA compliant grab bars in the tub or shower area are a great help, assuming they are properly installed. But, these items do not eliminate the risk of injury or falling when an older bather is required to pull them self up from the bottom of a tub. Rising from the floor level position of a traditional bathtub is the most difficult problem to resolve, because getting down into the tub is the only way to soak.

Equally dangerous is the use of portable, non-secure stools or seats inside traditional bathtubs and showers. Most of these products are band-aids, designed for temporary use during recovery from surgery or injury. But, all too often, they are used as the primary appliance to avoid the need to get down in the tub. Remember, anything that is not fully secured and can move has the potential of causing a fall or stress injury. These are very dangerous items to my thinking.

There is also a lack of sufficient support throughout the bathroom, such as in the transition area outside of the shower or bathtub (this is almost always limited to the presence of towel bars), and in areas where people tend to dry off or dress. Finally, absence of effective lifting support around the toilet to creates the need to raise body weight from low levels (13-14) and leads to knee, back and hip injuries. Proper support bars in this area will permit the use of stronger upper body strength to raise the body from the toilet.

Glass shower Doors and curtains

Lets face it, hot water, slick surfaces, physical weakness and glass (or flexible fabric) simply dont go together. The issues of falling into a glass shower door, or landing on the sharp ridges of the shower door track are significant. Many people are unstable, whether attempting to stand and shower, or lower themselves down into a tub to soak. The presence of any obstruction such as shower doors, or curtains, greatly increase the lack of visibility, and lead to grabbing or leaning into these features for support. Of course, they are not designed to support a human body, and are prone to break or give way, leading to a fall. The presence of glass in a shower doors compounds the risk of cutting and injury.