The bathroom is one of the most common places for seniors to experience falls or other injuries. It’s difficult for family caregivers to spot all of the various risks seniors face, though. Senior home care providers can help families identify and address some of these surprising hazards before they cause serious harm.
Check Water Temperature Settings
Seniors sometimes have a more difficult time accurately sensing water temperature. This increases the risk they’ll burn themselves with water that is hotter than they expected. Senior home care providers can help check water temperature in the tub and shower.
Solutions like adjusting water heater settings to a lower temperature and adding anti-scald devices to the tub faucet make a huge difference.
Reduce Clutter Around the Sink and Tub
Cluttered counters, tub areas, and floors create obstacles that are easy to trip over or run into, especially during a midnight bathroom trip. Removing duplicate products and items is a great first step.
If there are other items in the bathroom that could cause seniors to trip or block free movement, relocating those items helps a lot. Senior home care providers can walk through bathrooms and help aging adults clear up their spaces.
Improve Nighttime Lighting
Many bathroom falls tend to happen at night when lights are off, and seniors are sleepy and less steady on their feet. Setting up nightlights on the way to the bathroom gives seniors enough light to see obstacles without disrupting their night vision.
If seniors find that they’re waking up often at night, senior home care providers might be helpful overnight to keep seniors as safe as possible.
Add Grab Bars in Other Spots
An obvious spot for grab bars in the bathroom is in and around the tub or shower stall. Seniors can also benefit from grab bars in other areas, too.
Placing handrails around the toilet and near the sink gives seniors somewhere to lean or reach for if they lose their balance anywhere in the bathroom. Senior home care providers can help families notice areas that would benefit from a grab bar.
Consider Shower Seating
Standing during a shower can sometimes cause fatigue and increase fall risk for seniors. Even if aging adults don’t feel as if they need extra support bathing, a shower chair gives them a chance to rest during their shower and avoid a fall.
Longer hoses on detachable showerheads further improve safety for seniors during showers.
Change the Toilet Height
For some seniors, lower toilet seats make it tougher to sit down and stand up again safely. The problem increases if aging adults have trouble with their balance or reduced strength. Swapping out the toilet seat for a higher one makes it easier and safer for seniors to use the toilet.
Get Help with Personal Care Tasks
At some stage, older adults may want to consider getting more help with showering and other personal care tasks. Senior home care providers can help with showers while also preserving independence and dignity.
Assistance with showering keeps seniors safer and allows them to conserve their energy to devote to other activities.
Bathroom safety involves more than just the obvious hazards. Correcting some small details can make a meaningful difference in terms of safety for older adults. Senior home care providers help family caregivers spot and address safety issues throughout the home, allowing seniors to age in place comfortably.
If you or someone you know needs Senior Home Care in Hutchinson, MN, contact Adara Home Health. We provide quality and affordable home care services for many fragile or senior members in the communities we serve. Call us at (888) 525-7742 for more information.