What's The Big Deal About Bathing And Bathroom Safety? Part Ii

The Magnitude of the Problem

Accidental Deaths

I, and other advocates of bathroom safety, are astounded by the high incidence of bathing-related deaths. ABT Associates Inc.'s report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission indicated that as many as 70 persons over the age of 65 die of bathtub-related burn injuries every year in the US alone. That is nearly 6 people dying each month from hot water scalding! According to the National Safety Council, one person dies everyday from simply using the bathtub/shower in the United States. Of the 24,000 accidental deaths of people over the age of 65 every year, many are bathing related (Burdman, 1986). The National Safety Council reported that 345 people of all ages died in bathtubs in 1989, 364 in 1988, and 348 in 1987. The numbers are sure to increase rapidly with the transition of the parents of Baby Boomers and, thereafter the huge Baby Boomer generation, into elderhood. Bathtub related deaths during the three-year period from 1987-1989 exceeded those due to handgun accidents, all forms of road vehicles accidents (excluding motor vehicles), ladders and scaffolding falls, and ignition of clothing. Because bathtub related deaths occur suddenly and in a supposedly protective environment, these deaths tend to cause a greater degree of psychological trauma for the families.

After the swimming pool, the bathtub is the second major site of drowning in the home. Budnick and Ross (1985) studied bathtub-related drowning between the years 1979-1981. They concluded that those over the age of 75 accounted for the most bathtub-related deaths. Drowning deaths, for those over the age of 60, were primarily due to having fallen in the tub.

Bathing Injuries

On average, 370 persons of all ages sustain injuries from bathtub/shower daily in the United States. The dangerous aspect of bathing is evident from the injury data reported by the Consumer Product Safety Commission: 117,230 bathtub/shower injuries in 1989; 136,616 in 1990; and 139,434 in 1991. More elderly people were injured from using bathtub/shower than from other potentially dangerous equipment such as exercise equipment or cooking appliances (ranges or ovens).

No room in the American home poses more threats to safety than the bathroom (King, 1992; Koncelick 1982 ; Kira, 1966). The National Safety Council reports that in 1990, "7.8 percent of all injury episodes, or 4,547,000, involved persons of age 65 or older" (Accident Facts, 1992, p23). The majority of the accidents took place in and around the bathroom. About 30 percent of all home accidents are due to falls, the sixth leading cause of death. Falls result in 200,000 hip fractures, 25 percent of all hospital admissions for people over 65, and as much as 80 percent of all nursing home admissions are, directly or indirectly, due to fall related injuries and recovery.