The Wheelchair-Friendly Bathroom

Most bathrooms were designed for people who are comfortably moving around on two feet.  But that’s changing.  In 1990 the American Disabilities Act (ADA) developed guidelines to accommodate physically challenged people in public facilities and businesses.  As more and more people decide to live out their lives at home, ADA bathroom rules are spilling over into residential design.

If you’re caring for someone who uses a wheelchair or you use a wheelchair yourself, keep these guidelines in mind when remodeling the bathroom.

Top Products to Make a Long Life at Home Easier: The Shower Wheelchair

Are you caring for an elderly or disabled person?  If so, you likely know how the simple enjoyment of a refreshing shower is transformed into monumental task.  That’s why I’m putting the shower wheelchair on the list of the ‘Top Products to Make a Long Life at Home Easier.’ 

So how does a pleasurable shower become a burden for physically impaired people and their caregivers? 

Shower Angst for Seniors

Let’s suppose you’re caring for an elderly woman, Mildred, who has rheumatoid arthritis. Her knees are swollen, toes are gnarled, and her joints don’t cooperate when she wants to move.  Pain and stiffness make her unstable.  While she used to step into a shower with ease, she now makes that move with trepidation.  Mildred has slipped on the wet floor in the past.  She didn’t tell anyone, but she ended up a little bruised—physically and emotionally.  She has friends who have been whisked off to an assisted living center after such an episode, and to Mildred, that’s a scary prospect. 

Maybe you’re ready to help Mildred take a shower. This alleviates some of Mildred’s fears, but brings up another anxiety--giving up her privacy.  She finds it demeaning not only to remove her clothes publicly, but also to let you clean her most intimate areas.

Caring Conundrums

You, the caregiver, want to help.  That’s just who you are.  But when it comes down to it, you have some concerns too.  (At least you should!)  First, when you transfer Mildred into the shower, you have to do everything perfectly to avoid the risk of back injury: use your legs as levers, keep Mildred close to you, balance with your feet apart, turn your whole body when needed, and wear comfy, non-slip shoes.  To add discomfort to danger, inevitably, when you transfer Mildred back out of the shower, you end up soaking wet yourself.

Grab Bars: The Unsung Heroes

Grab bars. Do the words conjure up and image of cold, stainless steel bars braced on the walls of public bathrooms with a large handicapped sign adorning the door?

Is this what gives them a bad image?  Is this why seniors who just need a little help to remain safely in their bathrooms fail to install them?

Probably.  Who wants something ugly in their bathroom that shouts ‘handicapped’?  Vanity triumphs over safety.  Here’s why and where seniors need grab bars, and how you can make them fit into the bathroom decor.

8 Common Bathroom Needs the of the 8- and 88-Year-Old

An 8-year-old child and an 88-year-old lady have some surprisingly similar needs in the bathroom.  Why? 

Slips and Falls

A study from the Center of Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio discovered that more than 43,000 children are treated in an emergency room each year after a bathroom- or shower-related injury, most resulting from slips and falls. Also, one in three senior citizens fall annually and most of those falls occur in the bathroom.

Elder Hygiene: Avoiding a Stinky Situation

As people age, good hygiene is no longer a given.  When our health is good we get up in the morning, shower, shave, brush our teeth and put on makeup.  But many seniors can’t conquer these tasks easily.

Why are these simple daily routines transformed into the daily grind?

The Universal Appeal of a Bathroom for All Ages

What’s an ideal bathroom for a senior or someone who’s not as mobile as they once were?  It’s one that you can enjoy before you “need” it.  You won’t have to remodel in your sunset years if you prepare ahead of time.  Bonus: you can enjoy your investment right now.
 
Many boomers in their 50s and 60s are thinking ahead. When they remodel, they make sure their bathroom includes features they’ll appreciate over the long haul.  After all, they want to live out their lives in the familiar place called home.
 
What does this ideal bathroom for all time include?

Walk In Tub One of the Top Products to Make Long Life at Home Easier

In my last blog post in this series I told you about my quest to help people live long, healthy lives at home.  So I’m always looking for products that help them live happily and safely in their homes. Last time I talked about the portable shower. 

Another product that’s on the top of my list, and should be included in any bathroom remodeling project for senior citizens who want to live a long life at home, is the Jacuzzi walk in bath tub.  Not only does the walk in bath tub provide a warm, relaxing, and luxurious in-home spa experience, but it’s also safe, accessible, therapeutic, and health-promoting. 

Bathroom and Kitchen Remodeling for Seniors with Alzheimer’s

According to the Alzheimer’s Association 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and almost all of them are over 65.  And nearly half of people who reach the grand age of 85 are battling the disease.  Alzheimer’s is the leading reason for placing elderly people in institutions such as nursing homes.  Since I am a proponent of living a long life at home, these sad statistics started me thinking about how to prepare for living life at home with Alzheimer’s.

So I decided to solicit the opinions of my trusted colleague, Pam Rakoczy. Pam has over a quarter century’s experience in occupational therapy and now runs Liberty In Home Care, a homecare company that enables hundreds of physically and cognitively-impaired people in Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties of Pennsylvania to remain safely in their homes.

George:  Much of our time is spent remodeling bathrooms so that seniors can age in place.  Do you have any specific recommendations for the bathroom?

Pam:  We always make sure there are grab bars in the shower and that you can walk straight in to it.  We look at the difficulty of getting in and out of the shower or in bathing itself  because when you get to the later stages of Alzheimer’s, the senior may have difficulty getting in and out of the shower because they lose their balance.

Top Products to Make a Long Life at Home Easier: First in a Series

In my quest to help people live long, healthy lives at home I am always looking for cool new products that help them do just that. So I thought I would start a list of the top products.  Of course, I need your help too. So please respond to this blog with products you recommend.

One of my favorite products is the portable shower.  The soothing, refreshing feeling of a shower.   It’s a simple pleasure that’s out of reach for some people.  Maybe they can’t climb the stairs to the second floor shower because of surgery—a hip or knee replacement.   Maybe they have trouble accessing their current shower because it doesn’t accommodate a wheelchair.   The portable shower can help.