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Maitland-Smith Bathroom Seahorse Tissue Holder 1253-462
People consider home remodeling as they grow older. When such projects happen, it is crucial to make plans in age-proofing the bathroom. While style and comfort are great factors to make plan for during your younger years, aging brings about a different kind of perspective.
If you are planning on growing old in your current home, then it is wise to have the bathroom renovated in a much more accessible design. Together with kitchens, the bathrooms in your home are some of the wettest, most used areas. These are also the areas where accidents such as falls and slips often happen. With these slip hazards, it then becomes doubly important to take note of safety features that could make a difference.
Here are some ideas that will make any bathroom safe for every age level –
Shower Case Essentials
Installing a shower bench becomes more and more of a necessity as the homeowners begin to grow old. Age-proofing that part of your bathroom means the one who bathes will spend less time in a standing position. This could remove a huge amount of strain on the body, thus, reducing falling and slipping.
Another thing that you would need to install is a double-duty grab bar. This will serve as a bar for you to hold on to as you enter or exit the shower. This will also ensure that you won’t slip as you shampoo your hair or cleanse your body with soap.
Have one installed outside of the shower case and also in every interior wall. This is so an elderly member of the family can easily navigate the whole space.
A grab bar is functional because they can double as a robe or towel rack.
Have an handheld shower head installed. Adjust the height and you’re good; just place it right next to your shower bench and you can already take a bath while seated.
Age-Proofing Means Thinking Ten Times about Glass
While glass doors will effectively open up any bathroom space, they won’t be as functional when you have elderly members in your family or if two retirees are living with no help from younger family members.
Glass is a lot more difficult to maintain and they can easily get streak marks. Since this is so, glass requires more frequent cleanups, something that the elderly won’t be able to do as actively as when they were still young.
Install Good Lighting
Proper illumination can also make a huge difference. Ensuring that the bathroom space is well-lit means having lights that won’t cause strain on your eyes. Proper lighting will also show any wet spot that could be hidden by some shadows.
Choose from recessed, vanity, natural or sconce lighting.
Choose Durable Materials
Another way to age-proof a bathroom is to use porcelain tiles on your walls and any kind of textured tile on your flooring. Porcelain will last a lifetime so there are very little chances that you’d need to replace them. A wet rag can also clean porcelain in just a few minutes so this is the most feasible material to use if you plan to grow old with your partner in your home.
High slip resistance should be the factor that you will consider the most when choosing a material for the bathroom flooring. The rule here is simple, the higher the texture of the tile, the higher also its slip resistance.
These tips are simple ways that you can make the bathrooms in your home a lot safer. It pays to fortify this room in your home while you are yet young. Accidents can happen to anyone at any age so it is best to be prepared.
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