Bathroom Remodeling for Every Budget for Seniors

If you have a senior you care for who’s still using a bathroom designed for the person who never ages, it’s time to remodel for safety so they can live a long, happy life at home.  Whether your budget is tight, moderate or generous, you can make some worthwhile improvements.

Bathroom Modifications on a Tight Budget

If your budget is constrained, you want to convert the existing toilet, bath and shower so they’re easier and safer to use, while adding safety accessories where necessary.

Three Bathtub Replacements for Senior Safety

My goal is to modify bathrooms to make them safe and accessible for seniors.  So I love to see a spacious bathroom with a 60”x 60” turning radius for a senior who is, or may one day be, moving around in a wheel chair.  But most bathrooms are just not big enough.

I’ve noticed, however, that there’s usually a bath, about 60” x 30,” that seniors no longer use.  They’re legitimately scared to climb over the edge to get in and out of it, knowing that one misstep can lead to a life-changing fall. Seniors want to know what they can do with that space to make it usable.

Here are three practical ideas for bathtub replacements.
  
1. The Walk-In-Bathtub

Some walk-in bathtubs fit into the same 30” x 60” footprint squandered by the obsolete bathtub.  There are also narrower, shorter models, 28” x 48”, which use a panel to fill in the gap, keeping remodeling costs to a minimum.   Not only does the walk-in bath tub provide a warm, relaxing, and luxurious in-home-spa experience, it’s also safe, accessible, therapeutic, and health-promoting.

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?

How to Overcome Mobility Challenges in the Bathroom

To keep people in their homes as they age, it’s often necessary remodeling a bathroom to accommodate mobility issues. If you’re about to launch into a bathroom remodeling project, consider these tips:

1. What’s the Problem?
Evaluate the person who is having difficulty getting around.  If they’re in a wheel chair or their medical condition could lead to further deterioration that might land them in a wheel chair, there are additional considerations.

Top Products to Make a Long Life at Home Easier: Tub Cuts

The hunt continues for the top products to keep seniors living happy, healthy lives at home. 

To understand why I think today’s featured product is among the best, I want you to imagine it’s a steamy August day. You’re hot and sticky and ready to cool off in a refreshing shower. But you can’t. There’s a barricade between you and the shower. 

Or think about one of those days when your muscles are in knots and your bones feel creaky.  You long for a soothing, hot bath, but access is impossible.

This is how some seniors feel when they want to take a bath or shower. The side of the bath, while less than two-feet high, becomes a formidable barrier. And it’s something they absolutely should be concerned about because, as I’ve said before, almost 22 million injuries occur in the bathroom each year, and getting in and out of the bath tub is one of the most hazardous activities.

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.

What’s the Cost of Not Remodeling a Senior’s Bathroom?

What’s been bothering me lately is that I’m meeting all these wonderful seniors, and I can see that they would be safer and happier after remodeling their bathroom for safety, but they resist spending the money.  It’s hard—they’ve learned to be frugal and they have to juggle spending on the basic necessities of food and prescriptions with an investment in remodeling. 

So that got me to thinking what were the costs of not remodeling the bathroom?  There may not be any immediate costs, but as we get older, we get frailer.  Then I can only see three options.

Six Steps to a Safer Bathroom

Walk in Showers,
Safety can be Beautiful

You’ve seen signs that say “Beware of the Dog,” but have you ever seen one that says “Beware of the Bathroom?”  It sounds a little extreme, but in 2008 the Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that almost 22 million people over the age of 15 were injured in the bathroom.  In contrast, the CDC reports, a mere fraction of that number, 4.5 million, were bitten by dogs in 2009. 

The bathroom is considered the most dangerous room in the home. And while injuries span all age groups, people over 65 are most likely to end up with broken bones.

The CDC reports that many injuries could be prevented by making simple changes like adding grab bars .  So that got me thinking.  What else could be done? 

First, let’s look at how and where the CDC says the accidents are happening.  80%, of the injuries are from falling.  Whatever your age, the activities most hazardous to your health are:  bathing, showering, and getting in and out of the tub.  For older people there’s another bathroom hazard:  the toilet.  Over half the injuries to people 85 and over happen on or near the toilet.

Many people are simply unaware of the issues or what to do about them.  And ignorance isn’t bliss.  It’s dangerous. So here are six tips for bathroom safety, focusing on the main offenders: bathtubs, shower stalls and toilets.