Are you a Senior

To finish off this series on Bathroom Safety Tips we have pulled together some addition tips that we have not included previously for the senior market. We have also included a summary of some previous hints and tips:

1. Postioning of the items you need in the shower or bath area - make sure your towels, soaps, shampoos and conditioners are in easy reach when you are in the shower or coming out of it. Move your shelving to accomodate out-of-reach items.

2. Often toilet seats are positioned too low and are uncomfortable so consider purchasing a deluxe raised toilet seat - they are strong and inexpensive and are available in pharmacies as well as DIY stores. Some people also consider getting a plumber or carpenter to raise the toilet inserting something at the base of the toilet.

3. Grab bars instead of using the glass sliding door  - statistics from the USA show that three quaters of older adults use the glass sliding door for support rather than installing grab bars, which in many cases lead to falls and accidents! Proper grab bars should be installed around the bathroom area to assist all the family in getting in and out of the bath or shower. If you cant break the habit remove the glass door and put in a shower curtain as you wont pull out of that.

So in summary bathroom safety should be at the top of your priority list, you need to inspect your bathroom area (bearing in mind our last 3 posts on BATHROOM SAFETY FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY), make sure the whole bathroom area has enough light during the day and night, make sure all your cosmetics/cleaning items are out of reach of children, be very careful and think in advance before installing any electrical socket in your bathroom - we recommend you install sockets outside your bathroom where possible and finally keep your hairdyrers out of the bathroom altogether.