As you get older, some daily activities become more difficult. Unfortunately, it is the activities that are the hardest to complete by yourself that are the most essential. Both washing and using the toilet correctly can pose a challenge to anyone living on their own, but some elderly homeowners are not ready to give up their independence. So, what is the solution?
Fortunately, there are several gadgets and fixings you can install in your elderly relatives’ homes to make their lives easier. Some of these updates can drastically improve the lives of senior homeowners, so read on to see what you can do to help them.
Handrails
It should come as no surprise that handrails are the most common bathroom installation in elderly homes. The tiled floors in your bathroom may be easy to clean; however, this flooring can become extremely slippery when wet. You don’t want your elderly relative to traverse this surface on a daily basis, especially if they are a fall risk. Therefore, you will need to put up some handrails around the room.
Bathroom handrails are best secured to the wall nearest the entryway to give the resident a strong purchase when they first step into the room. You will also want to place them in areas that will see the most activity, such as inside the shower and beside the toilet. These handrails shouldn’t take up too much space in their bathroom, and they allow your senior family member to traverse the room with confidence.
Lever Faucets
A common problem among the older generations is arthritis. This disease causes the joints to seize or stiffen, which can make performing everyday tasks much harder. One task that we all take for granted is turning on the bathroom tap, no matter what type of mechanism you have installed. However, an elderly homeowner will struggle to grip or turn a tap over time.
This means that you should think about changing the type of faucet they have on their bathroom sink., A lever-based faucet can lift and drop with ease and does not require the user’s fingers to operate. As such, your elderly relative will have no trouble washing their hands with a lever faucet in their bathroom.
Shower Curtains
For most of us, a shower curtain can provide the privacy we require when washing. Unfortunately, this length of material can act as an unnecessary hazard to an older resident. However, these individuals still deserve privacy when they use the shower. Therefore, you will need to find them the right type of shower curtain.
Nichol & Hill provides a variety of shower curtains for the elderly, each one designed to protect the aging from common bathroom hazards. Some of these curtains are made to reduce light for seniors with sensitive eyes, while others are shorter and lightweight to reduce the likelihood of the resident slipping. To find out which of these designs would suit your elderly relative best, check out the care home curtain guide from Nichol & Hill. The right shower curtain can make a huge difference to someone’s life, so make sure your relative has the correct one installed.
Raising The Toilet
Arthritis doesn’t just affect the finger joints as you age. Some people can experience stiffness in their knees and lower back. As you can imagine, this affliction can make it difficult to sit or stand. Therefore, elderly relatives may have issues when using the toilet by themselves. Installing the correct handrails will help them rise off the toilet, but these devices can also prove difficult if they have arthritis in their hands.
As such, you may want to consider raising the height of their toilet. A higher toilet reduces the amount of effort it takes to rise off the seat, which will cause them less pain overall.
Walk In Shower
When you have trouble moving, the last thing you want to contend with is large steps. This is especially true if these steps are paired with slippery surfaces. You may not realise it now, but ageing demonstrates just how dangerous stepping in and out of the shower can be.
A shower can make anyone feel more like themselves, so you don’t want your elderly relative to dread the idea of entering the bathroom. Walk-in showers are easy enough to install, and they can provide seniors with a comfortable space in which to wash. The water runs straight across the floor and down the drain, and the showerhead is designed to ensure that it doesn’t spray water too far. So long as you have the appropriate number of handrails, a walk-in shower can change the life of a senior homeowner.
Conclusion
These small additions to a bathroom can drastically improve the quality of life of your elderly relative. Updating a bathroom for a senior resident is all about giving them independence, and each of the objects above can do this for you.
