Bathrooms can be a scary place for some seniors and worse news is that your elderly family member might not tell you if she feels unsafe in her bathroom. Making a few big and small changes can make your senior’s bathroom a lot safer for her to be in. These are just a few of the different ideas you might want to explore with her.
Make the Bathroom Easy to Access
Your elderly family member’s bathroom needs to be easy for her to access. If there’s anything impeding her progress on the way to the bathroom, that needs to be addressed. It’s equally important for your senior to be able to find the bathroom. If cognitive changes have made that difficult, consider signs that help to point the way for her. At night it might help if there are motion-sensitive night lights to help your senior to see where she’s going. Talk with her about what else might make getting to the bathroom feel safer and easier.
Ensure that She’s Got Support in the Bathroom
While she’s in the bathroom, your aging family member may need additional support. This is a vulnerable space for your elderly family member to be in. Grab bars in the shower and all around the room can help her to feel more stable and comfortable. It’s also a good idea to put grab bars near the toilet to help her to have additional leverage when she needs it. Remove anything inside the bathroom that might become an obstacle or that might keep your senior from moving the way that she needs to.
Consider Shower and Tub Assistive Tools
Specific assistive devices and tools for the shower and tub may also be a good idea. A shower head with a longer hose can help her to use a shower chair more easily, for instance. If it’s possible to renovate the bathroom and install something like a walk-in shower stall or a walk-in tub, that could also be helpful. There are also a great many different tools that are useful in any bathroom to assist with getting into and out of the tub safely as well as bathing safely and easily.
Bring in Home Care Providers for More Help
An option that gets overlooked is bringing in experienced home care providers for more help with bathing and other bathroom needs. Home care providers aren’t there to judge your senior or to make her feel undignified about the situation that she’s in. They’re there to help her compassionately and discreetly and they can make a scary but normal activity like bathing so much safer for your senior. For seniors who have avoided bathing out of fear, this option may be able to undo years of fear.
Keeping your senior safe is a complicated goal that often involves thinking about so many normal daily activities in a new and different way. If you’re not sure what else might be a problem for your senior in the bathroom, talk with her about what makes her feel unsafe when she’s in that room.
