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January is National Bath Safety Month, and to help celebrate and bring awareness, we’ll discuss 6 items that can help reduce falls, improve security, and keep you and your loved ones safe.
For many people, the bathroom is a place of refuge, rejuvenation, and relaxation. It’s where each morning starts and where each evening ends, be it to brush your teeth or maybe just to have a long, hot soak. It’s no wonder that studies suggest we spend up to 400 or more days in the bathroom throughout our lives.
But for a place of refuge, the bathroom can also be full of risks. In fact, most studies show that it can be the most dangerous place in your home. Accidents in this room send up to 235,000 people over age 15 to the ER visit every year; nearly 14 percent wind up hospitalized. The risk of having an accident nearly triples after age 65.
Keeping Your Family Safe This National Bath Safety Month
There is good news: simple measures and special products can help you reduce your risk for an accident in the bathroom, regardless of whether you are 22 or 82. In honor of National Bath Safety Month, we thought we’d share a few of our favorites.
Stay safe!
1. Bath Mats
Quite possibly the most effective tool to know this National Bath Safety Month is the simple yet protective bath mat. An absorbent mat with rubber or adhesive backing lowers the risk of slips and falls associated with smooth or wet floors. This is especially important if your bathroom floors are made of linoleum or ceramic with a glossy finish.
For best results, bath mats should be placed at the most common slip points: in front of the sink, in front of the toilet, and wherever you typically step into the tub. Choose a mold-resistant, machine-washable material to avoid issues with mold and mildew.
2. Handrails
Anyone who struggles with lower body mobility knows how terrifying it can be to navigate a slippery surface – especially if you don’t have anything to cling to with your hands and arms. While mats can help, strategically placed hand and guardrails are even more effective. They may even prevent a slight misstep from turning into a full fall, especially if someone already has a grip on them when the slip occurs.
For best results, you should follow the ADA’s recommended placement guidelines for bathroom rails. The rail itself should be ADA-compliant and installed correctly to ensure strength and longevity. Incorrect installation can raise the risk of failure; this can also put someone at risk for an accident.
3. Toilet Risers
For people with lower back problems, hip issues, balance problems, or any kind of lower body weakness, just sitting down can be a challenge. Often, they will begin to fall backwards onto the seat before they are flush with it. This is not only a major fall risk, but also potentially injurious to the pelvis, hips, legs, and back.
Toilet risers address this problem by increasing the height of the toilet seat so the individual using it closes the gap faster. The amount of effort required to stay upright before sitting is greatly reduced, which makes it easier and less painful to sit. The riser itself may be installed at the base or over the seat –– whichever is preferred.
4. Step-In Showers
There’s little better than a long hot shower to soothe aching muscles. Unfortunately, stepping into a bathtub can be especially risky. The slippery surface combined with running water and soap is a recipe for disaster for people with mobility challenges.
Sometimes, the better option is to install a walk-in tub or step-in shower. Instead of needing to step up and over the wall of the tub, a small door swings open. The user simply steps in over just an inch or two instead. Most versions also have built-in molded and texturized seating to allow the individual to sit and enjoy a bath or shower without any additional risks once they are inside.
This is admittedly a larger renovation product, but it is important enough to mention on this list.
5. Transfer Benches
Transfer benches bridge the gap and improve safety for people who have traditional sit-down bathtubs. They assist people in entering and exiting the tub without needing to step up and over the wall, which reduces the risk of falls.
Most transfer benches work quite simply – they contain a long seat section with four legs (two on each end). The bench is placed over the tub wall with one set of legs securely positioned on the bathroom floor and the other set inside the tub. The user can then sit on the bench, swing their legs up and over the tub wall, and simply shimmy along the bench until they’re in.
Fancier transfer benches are available. In fact, some even containing a pushable sliding seat so a caregiver can gently push the user across the tub wall. However, these do come at a higher cost. Still, they’re ideal in cases of highly limited mobility.
6. Anti-Mold Cleansers
While this isn’t necessarily a bath aid, having the right cleansers to keep your bathroom clean is still incredibly important. Bathrooms are prime areas for the development of mold and/or mildew, and often, homeowners don’t notice it until it’s well-colonized and capable of causing illnesses.
Need an example? Black mold infestation, which is heavily associated with high levels of moisture can cause fungal sinusitis. Symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Facial pain
- Nasal congestion
- Sinus inflammation
Healthy individuals may heal on their own once the mold is eliminated, but anyone who is immunocompromised, elderly, or infirm may go on to experience life-threatening side effects if untreated.
Final Thoughts
But it isn’t all doom and gloom – we also know that proper cleaning measures and mold deterrents can greatly reduce the risk of secondary infections like these. So, keep your bathroom clean and encourage proper ventilation for best results.
Need more information this National Bath Safety Month, or want to install a few safety aids in your own home? Contact your local pharmacy and ask about your options. This simple investment in your safety could very well save your life.
