Bathroom Safety Tips

Each year an estimated 12,000 people die from falling on slippery floors and stairs. These deaths are second only to motor vehicle accidents in causing personal injury.

As we age, our physical abilities diminish, and therefore we lose our strength and our balance. Unfortunately, accidents can occur more often and the bathroom can become a dangerous room. It is important to make your bathrooms safe. The following suggestions can make your bathroom less treacherous.

Grab bars provide a place for your hands to grab on to as you raise or lower yourself. They can be attached to walls with screws, some bars are attached to the bathtub, and other bars use suction cups, which avoids the need to drill into a wall. There are also toilet safety frames that help when lowering and raising from the toilet. Please closely follow the instructions for installation, or have a professional contractor do the installation for you.

Shower chairs provide a sanitary seating area when taking showers. This product is a great aid for those that have difficulty standing or sitting on the bathtub floor is impossible. Usually constructed with plastic molded seating and aluminum or steel legs. Some chairs have wheels for mobility. For those looking for a warmer material, there are wood seats made of teak.

Transfer benches are used when you have limited mobility. Usually two legs are inside the bathtub and 2 legs are outside the bathtub and the bench stretches over the bathtub wall. First you sit on the outside of the tub on the edge of the bench. Then you slide over into the bathtub section, pulling your legs over the tub wall.

Elevated toilet seat provides the extra few inches of height, making it easier to get on and off a toilet. Some models come with arms for stability.

Hand held showerhead provides for better control of the water when taking showers. Rising and cleansing the parts you want to concentrate on. Many showerheads have different sprayer settings you can select.

Non Slip Tiles provide traction when the floors are wet. There are also products that can be coated on to the floor to provide additional traction. Rubber mats may also provide a solution from slippery floors. Safety tape can also provide the needed traction for that slippery floor.

Any electrical outlets that are near wet areas like the bathroom must be a ground fault circuit interrupter outlet (GFCI). These GFCI outlets will immediately shut the power off in the event of a short circuit.

Planning for safety in any room is important, and the bathroom has many products that make it safer. Please review your bathroom concerns with your healthcare professional. For more information, please visit www.cwimedical.com

Noah Lam has over 15 years of experience of providing high quality medical supplies and healthcare products from Acute Care Facilities to parents and children. His company, CWI Medical is a leading provider of medical supplies and equipment to healthcare facilities and for home use. In addition, CWI Medical is an ACHC Accredited organization maintaining standards of excellence in the Healthcare Field. For more information, please visit CWI Medical