
22 February 2022
As part of our series on home adaptations, we’re looking at ways different rooms around the home can be improved. We’ve spoken with experts from our installations partner EA Mobility to get their tips and advice on how to make your bathroom accessible, from small changes through to bigger adaptation projects.
The standard bathrooms aren’t always the most accessible of places, not helped by wet surfaces and floors increasing the risk of slips and falls. But it’s one of the rooms in the home that everyone in the family use often multiple times in a day.
Depending on your needs, you may not need to spend much money to help make your bathroom safer and more accessible.
Grab rails are a useful support in any area of the house where you might need a little extra help to maintain your balance. You can put these wherever you need them in the bathroom to give you something to hold onto, whether that’s extra support and stability while you get in or out of the bath or shower or support to help you pull yourself up from the toilet.
Tips from the experts:
Finding it tricky to turn your taps on and off? Tap turners could be just the thing to help. Instead of going to the trouble of fitting entirely new taps to your sinks, tap turners are an inexpensive option that help make it much easier to turn a tap as they offer extra leverage.
Some tap turners are also colour coded to help you distinguish at a glance between your hot and cold taps.
If you find standing up for long periods of time difficult, a shower seat may be the answer. A shower seat will give you a space to sit in comfort while you enjoy your shower, helping to reduce your risk of falling and stay more independent.
Shower seats can either be free moving chairs that you can move in and out of the shower as needed, or you can get versions which can be permanently attached to the wall.
Tip from the experts:
Bath boards can help make it a little easier to get into the bath and also give you a place to sit and rest if your shower is over the tub. These bathroom aids usually attach to the bath itself or are designed to rest across it, so they can be moved as needed. It’s very important to make sure it’s fitted correctly before use.
Make sure to double-check the size of the board is right for the size of your bath, so you don’t end up with a board that doesn’t fit.
Bath seats are similar to bath boards in that they’re bathroom aids designed to go in the tub. Some are more like stools with pads on the bottom to fix it to the bath, others stretch across the bath, and some are chairs that can swivel, so it’s a little easier to transfer to and from the bath.
Tips from the experts:
If you love a bath but find it very difficult to get yourself into and out of the tub, then a bath lift may be an option to consider. Bath lifts are designed to gently lower you down into the bath, so you can enjoy a relaxing soak, and then raise you up again once you’re finished.
With a bath lift you simply sit on the chair, lift your legs into the bath, and then use the supplied controls to lower yourself into the bath, making sure to adjust your leg position as it moves.
Getting up and down off the toilet can be a struggle for some. If this sounds familiar, you may want to consider a toilet frame. Toilet frames are frames that fit around your existing toilet, providing extra leverage to help you pull yourself up off the toilet or sit down on it. Some also come with raised toilet seats as well, so you won’t have as far to lower yourself down when using the toilet.
If you have a bath in the room that’s going unused due to inaccessibility, you may want to consider a walk-in shower in its place. Walk-in showers are a brilliant option for anyone who finds it tricky to use standard baths or showers as they can be modified to suit all levels of mobility and give you direct access to the shower without having to open or close any doors. Professional installers should even be able to fit one in the same place as your bath, which means you may not need to go to the trouble of modifying the rest of your bathroom (assuming it’s fit for your needs).
Tip from the experts:
Look for a specialist company, who can help make sure you get the right walk-in shower to match your needs and fit it for you. We highly recommend our installation partners, Eastern Adaptations. You can find out more about their services here.
Wet rooms are the most accessible style of bathroom, ideal if you have limited mobility or need wheelchair access. It’s a great option to help future-proof your bathroom set-up if you’re starting to find it increasingly difficult to get up steps and worry about falling or getting stuck when using the bath.
Choose a specialist company to help with your wet room fitting, one that specialises in accessibility, so you can be sure you’re building the right bathroom to match your needs. We highly recommend our installation partners, Eastern Adaptations. You can find out more about their services here.
Looking for more tips and advice on adaptations you can make to the rest of your home? You can download our full guide here or choose the room you need help with below:
Alternatively, if you’re not sure where to start with adapting your home to meet your needs, see our Home Living Consultation Service where a registered Occupational Therapist will assess your needs and offer recommendations for changes you can make.
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