How to Renovate the Bathroom for Disabled and Elderly

Make bathroom safe for the elderly or disabled

If you are entering your elderly years, or have the good fortune to still have your parents, perhaps you have noticed difficulties with some personal tasks as time goes by. Or perhaps you or someone you love is living with a disability that makes daily hygiene tasks harder to perform. To keep yourself and/or those you love safe and healthy, here's how to renovate your bathroom for disabilities or for the elderly.

Things You'll Need

• Non-skid mats or rugs
• Plenty of light
• Wide doorway for wheelchair
• Rubber mat in tub
• Hand held shower head
• Replace faucet knobs with levers
• Install a 17" tall commode
• Install curbless shower or walk-in tub.
• Have a shower chair available

Instructions

1. Provide easy, non-slip passage into and out of bathroom.

   Use non-skid throw rugs or mats, or secure existing rugs with double-stick tape, to prevent entanglement or slipping.

2. 

   Increase lighting.

   This is one of the simplest bathroom makeovers. As we grow older, and our vision is not as sharp, we need more light in our surroundings. Make sure to install the highest wattage of bulbs allowed for your fixtures. Put in plug-in night lights that turn on when the room goes dark, in case of nighttime bathroom usage. Check frequently to see that they are still working properly.

3. Modify the doorway of the bathroom.

   To allow for possible wheelchair use, you can allow an extra 2" with inexpensive offset door hinges, purchased at any home supply store. If this is not enough room, see a professional who can do widen this door for you.

4. Use non-slip mats in shower or tub.

   To insure a more secure bathing/showering experience for an elderly, infirm person, make sure to use non-slip rubber mats in shower or bath. If you have a shower, put in a shower curtain rod that screws or bolts into the wall, not a tension mounted rod. This type of secure rod will not come loose, if you find yourself off-balance, and grabbing the shower curtain.

5. 

   Install lever handles on faucets.

   Knobs can be very difficult to turn, for an elderly person with grip issues, arthritis, etc. Bathroom redecorating is easy, replacing old bathroom fixtures with new lever handles, and on the bathroom door. It not only is easier for an impaired person, but also gives an instant face-lift to your bathroom.

6. 

   Install a 17" tall toilet commode.

   Standard commodes are only 15" tall, and are more difficult for an elderly, or an impaired person to sit and rise from comfortably. If you prefer not to replace the entire commode, you can purchase a seat made especially for the handicapped that raises the seat a couple of inches.

7. 

   Install a "curbless" shower, or a walk-in tub.

   A curbless shower allows easier access and is especially good where a wheelchair is necessary. If a wheelchair isn't used, have a shower chair available for those who may need it.

   A walk-in tub makes tub bathing easier for someone who has difficulty with balance, and could fall getting into a standard bathtub. Making these tasks easier for someone who has a disability just makes life easier for everyone concerned.