With advancements in remodeling home bathrooms to better assist the elderly and disabled, nursing homes are slowly becoming a thing of the past. But if you are going through a bathroom upgrade to better suit those people’s needs, it’s worth understanding exactly what is required and why.

Grab Bars

Grab bars are installed parallel to the floor that can be raised or lowered, and are placed alongside the toilet and shower. This bathroom upgrade helps seniors lower themselves and pull themselves up when using the toilet and it is a simple solution that can prevent any kind of injury.

Non-Slip Floor

This bathroom upgrade is an enormous help as anybody can slip in the bathroom, but unlike other people, the elderly and the disabled may not be able to balance it out or catch themselves after slipping. Non-slip floors are an easy addition and there are alternatives such as special bath mats if you are on a budget.

Light Fixtures

In case of impaired vision, there are plenty of bathroom upgrades to change fixed lighting in bathrooms that may not help the elderly or disabled. It can go either way as dimming the bathroom or brightening the bathroom could either help or further impair vision depending on the person, so changing the bathroom lights can be an imperative bathroom upgrade.

Height and Width Adjustments

As the disabled and elderly may be in a wheelchair and have other means to move around, the entrance way may need to be widened, and the sink and toilet may have to be lowered or raised. In addition to this, another bathroom upgrade such as an entrance ramps can be of great help too.

Walk-in Bathtub/Shower

When it comes to the major obstacles in the bathroom, the bathtub is the number one cause of injuries to the elderly and disabled, meaning changing this might be the most important bathroom upgrade. With safety bars and non-slip floors, a walk-in bathtub with a door can put a stop to thousands of injuries a year. There are showers that come with seats too, which can massively help seniors.

Add Space / Reduce Clutter

With the elderly and disabled needing more space in the bathroom, it’s important that most clutter is removed from the sink and bath/shower, especially anything sitting around for decorative reasons. This is the simplest bathroom upgrade that requires no installations.

Faucets and Shower-heads

Small things that might not seem like encumbrances to you could greatly impact the elderly or the disabled and would need a bathroom upgrade, such as faucets with cross handles and fixed shower heads. These can be changed and the fixed shower head can be replaced with a hand shower so the person can have much better control.

Thanks to these bathroom upgrades, more and more seniors and disabled people are happily making the choice to stay home instead of moving in to a nursing home. These changes are making the bathroom at home just as safe and comfortable as it would be in a professional assisted living facility.

 

For more information, contact Vinny’s Jersey Plumbing, located in Wayne, New Jersey.  We also service other towns in New Jersey, such as Lodi, West Orange and Livingston.