Safety for Seniors – Bathroom slip and fall

According to the StatCan website, in Canada; more than 60% of senior injury is attributed to falling. Out of which, more than 50% happen within four walls of the house or walking. This is quite disturbing statistics and most of these injuries are avoidable by following few simple protocols and being proactive. Let’s take a step by step approach to understanding causes and prevention of one of the most common household fall injuries.

Falling in the bathroom can be due to multiple reasons:

• Insufficiently secured towel racks that could fall when gripped for support;
• Shower chairs that are not slip resistant;
• Bathtubs that are difficult to step into and out of;
• Sliding shower doors that could move unexpectedly when entering and exiting the tub;
• Slippery bathtub and shower floor surfaces;
• Slippery floor tiles, especially when wet; and
• Low toilets heights that are difficult to get up from easily.

There are ways to avoid the fall.

• Place a Bathroom Floor Mat in front of the sink and shower/tub such as Uphome Vintage Retro. Look for the non-slip backing bottom surface and highly absorbent top surface. You can find many designs and colors but ensure that they have what is needed for safety.
• Install Grab Bars for support in the bathtub; shower and toilet. Be very careful here because the Grab Bars come in many different types. Read the label.
  • Most of the cost-effective suction cup bars ONLY assist with balance. They will have minimal weight support rating.
  • Permanent Secure Mount Grab Bars are better at supporting the weight. The devil is in the detail and you must ensure that they are secured to a strong backing reinforcement such as wall stud or plywood. Newer code requires having the support reinforcement in the main bathroom.
• Use a shower chair for better balance during showering. A shower chair can provide stability for an elder with difficulty balancing and a rest place for those who have difficulty standing for long periods of time. A good shower chair has rubber tips on the legs to prevent sliding. When used with a hand-held shower head, an elder can remain seated while bathing.
• Use a raised toilet seat. Elders may have difficulty lowering themselves down to sit on a low toilet seat and rising to a standing position safely. A raised toilet seat reduces the amount of squatting and the distance that has to be covered to sit on the toilet. Grab bars on the raised seat itself provide added safety.
• Put toiletries within reach. Elders with poor balance should not have to stretch or bend down for the shampoo bottle or soap. Mount an easy to reach liquid soap dispenser on the bathtub or shower wall to prevent reaching, bending and unsteadiness.
• Lighting. Is the pathway from the bedroom to the bathroom dark? A poorly-lit pathway can easily cause a fall. Use night lights to create a well-lit path to the bathroom. Having nightlights in the bathroom helps as well.