How to Make Your Bathroom More Accessible
Many elderly or disabled people require a little extra help making their home accessible and ensuring it accommodates their needs. Bathrooms are one of the most tricky rooms for people with limited mobility to tackle, with slippery floors, cramped showers, and low toilet seats or baths providing ample opportunities for falls and other accidents.
Here are some key features that could help you make your bathroom more accessible.
Bath lifts
Similarly to bath cushions, a bath lift can help reduce the difficulty of getting in and out of the bath. This equipment simply sits in the bath and provides a secure and stable way of manoeuvring yourself into the desired position in the bath. Most bath lifts comprise a contoured seat and backrest, providing both comfort and support when lowering and reclining. This makes them a perfect choice for boosting accessibility, especially where a walk-in bath is not possible.
Grab rails
An effective and affordable bathroom adaptation, grab safety rails can be screwed into the wall wherever necessary. This can make moving around the bathroom far easier and safer for those who are unsteady on their feet and/or need a little extra support.
When placed next to bathroom utilities, grab rails can be extremely helpful – for instance, by helping users lower themselves into the bath or onto a low toilet seat, or by providing something to hold onto in the shower to prevent slips and falls. You could also choose to have rubber or textured grips on your grab rails, which provides extra grip in areas prone to getting wet.
Walk-in baths
Baths can be extremely difficult to get in and out of, especially when wet. In fact, they can be downright dangerous for those with limited mobility and/or no grab rails or other accessibility aids. Therefore, a walk-in bath can be incredibly useful. These provide a small, water-tight door that users can walk in and out of freely instead of having to climb over the side of the bath.
In addition to installing a walk-in bath, placing rubber mats on the bottom of the bath is a great way to prevent slipping and associated injuries.
Stairlifts
While not necessarily a bathroom feature, a stairlift can make your bathroom experience far easier. It isn’t always possible to have a bathroom on the ground floor, which can make it very difficult for elderly or disabled people to access the toilet quickly and easily whenever necessary.
By installing a stairlift, you can ensure that you can make it to the bathroom in no time and without the strain of climbing the stairs. Even when you’re not in a rush, a stairlift can help remove the discomfort and nuisance of climbing the stairs so that your relaxing bath can be just that!
Alfix Stairlifts provides high-quality stairlifts in Warwickshire and the surrounding areas. If you’re looking at getting a stairlift installed, for whatever reason, we’re on hand to help you out. Whether you need a rental stairlift in Aylesbury or permanent disability equipment in Bromsgrove, we’ll have something to suit your needs. Our friendly team is highly experienced and is committed to making your home as comfortable and as accessible as possible. For more information, call us on 01926 334848 or visit our website today.