The 7 Most Common Features Of Every Bathroom - Part Iii

Poorly located controls

I had honestly never thought about this issue until I did the research. Now, it seems so obvious to me. As we age, our range of motion, flexibility and grip strength lessen. Faucets, drains and valves are very difficult to operate safely. Other problems were largely due to inadequate reach, poor grasp and low level of thermal sensitivity. Many individuals indicated that because of their inability to "reach low," using controls from the outside of the tub was virtually impossible. Stretching to reach a valve or drain plug, straining to operate separate hot and cold levers, or maneuver hard to operate controls that require grip strength cause injury far more often then I ever realized. Just stand back and look at the average American bathtub. Five feet long, and the bather seated at the end opposite the filler valves and drain plugs. We must be able to reach past our toes to operate the controls! Crazy, and unsafe.

Lack of Anti-scald valves

Scalding is a common injury and one of the leading causes of injury to older people.
When I learned that 6 or more people die in the United States every month do to burns while bathing, I knew I was missing something important. The vast majority of American bathtubs and showers have inadequate thermostatic mixing valves, or none at all! As we age, there are many medical conditions that cause us to loose ability to judge water temperature. Also, loss of water pressure due to water demand from other uses can cause a rapid shift in water temperature to a bather. Seniors are often unstable and can fall due to a pain reaction. Or, rapid movements to reach the controls can cause falls and stress, joint and muscle related injuries. And, with older valves with difficult to operate controls, the bather can actually over or under adjust the temperature and exacerbate to problem.


Finally, water temperatures much over 100 degrees are dangerous for most seniors and potentially deadly for people with heart and other problems. Hot water weakens muscles, depletes energy and drains strength. Without thermostatic mixing vales that mix hot and cold to create a safe maximum water temperature, it is not uncommon for older bathers to have their bodies gradually adjust to the water temperature, and unknowingly add more and more hot water until it is at a dangerously high temperature

Entering and exiting the tub or shower

You probably have already guessed, the number one feature of most American bathrooms that leads to injury is the high sidewalls or thresholds that must be climbed over to bathe. The most common problem was maintaining balance when bathing and making transfers. Those unable to make safe transfers had abandoned tub-oriented bathing altogether. Here is what I learned from my research.