“Danger” might not be the first word to come to mind when individuals consider their bathrooms, but perhaps it should be?
Considering the number of slip-and-fall-related injuries that come into the local emergency ward each year – many of those occurring in bathrooms – local contractor Rob Thomas highly recommends a few easy precautions be taken to keep people safe, especially seniors.
Seniors can fall anywhere in a home, but may be more likely to do so in a bathroom. Various measures can help make bathrooms safer for aging individuals, said Thomas, a Brookswood resident who has been in construction since he was 15 and now operates Chronicle Building Maintenance.
“I tend to do what the big contractors won’t do,” he said.
While he does a lot of strata work and small home renovations, Thomas said that thanks to referrals seniors are making up about 40 per cent of his businesses – and much of that is helping them safeguard their residence.
Topping his list is installing grab bars in showers and bathtubs.
It’s actually one of the easiest and most inexpensive safety steps that can be taken, Thomas said, encouraging people to do it sooner rather than later.
“Don’t wait until you’ve already had a fall,” he said.
Properly anchored grab bars make it easier for aging men and women to get into and out of, or move up and down in, the shower or the tub by giving them something to hold onto.
“It’s something they’ll use everyday.”
This can be especially helpful for seniors who have difficulty stepping up and over their tub sides to bathe. Of course, replacing the tub with a walk-in shower is a more extensive fix to consider.
And though they’re primarily used in showers and tubs, grab bars or specially designed lift bars can also be installed alongside toilets for seniors who could use a little help sitting down and getting up from their toilets.
It’s also worth considering use of non-slip bath mats, decluttering the space wherever possible, and cleaning bathrooms regularly to avoid slips from soap scum or condensation. But while Thomas also recommends a few of these latter steps for his clients – they’re not typically jobs in his wheelhouse – except in his own home.
“It’s some of that basic stuff that you don’t have to spend any money,” Thomas said. “It’s stuff family members can do and it makes a lot of difference for people.”
Another helpful safety tips – for the bathrooms and throughout the house – is installing more or better lights to enhance visibility. Using longer-lasting bulbs (such as LED lighting) can also mean seniors don’t need to change bulbs as often (a chore that may require climbing a ladder).
Outside the bathroom, Thomas has helped many local seniors with a number of other safety measures through the years.
One of the most common is building or installing wheelchair-accessible ramps that are also helpful for people with walkers and canes. But often seniors fear it’s too costly for them on a fixed income.
He also modifies stair railings, so seniors can fully grip the rail when ascending or descending steps, and even adds slip-proof grips – especially on outdoor wooden stairs that get slippery and wet because they’re exposed to this “West Coast weather.”
He’s changed out door knobs that make it easier for people who – because of arthritis – can’t turn a traditional rounded knob. He’s also swapping out small toggle light switches for the bigger, easier to manage switches. He even encourages use of switches with a small light embedded to make it easier for the user to locate.
And installing sensor lights outside, means seniors don’t have to come home to a dark house and risk a mishap on the way in the house.
By taking a few of these relatively easy steps, seniors who are often experiencing diminishing mobility and visibility, are then able to stay in their own homes longer, and be safer, Thomas said.
He chuckled when recommending a few night lights be strategically located around the house, including in hallways, to enhance visibility. Thomas laughs, he said, because at 50 it’s one of the safety measures he thinking of integrating for himself.
“You need to think of these things ahead of time. But a lot of them are doing it because they’ve already had a fall, and their quality of life starts declining… It’s always nice to spend some money on some grab bars for your mom or dad, or [other loves ones], before they have a fall, so they don’t have one.”
In recent years, he’s had to install some of these features for his own father, now 79. Due to several falls he’s struggling with mobility and needs more assistance than in past.
“He’s very stubborn, but we have grab bars all over the place, and we have the safety gear. He’s got a wheelchair, a walker, and a cane. He wants to stay where he is. He doesn’t want to lose any independence,” Thomas shared.
“We want to make that possible for him, for as long as possible.”
– with files from Metro Creative Services
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