Aging in Place: Bathroom Remodeling Tips
Are you familiar with the concept of aging in place? The basic idea behind it is that, as people age, their physical needs and limitations become more rigid—yet where past generations may have spent declining years in assisted living facilities or nursing homes, many individuals today prefer to stay in their homes—independent and dignified—for as long as possible.
This is a great idea that brings with it some significant considerations—including home remodeling considerations. Aging in place entails some significant remodeling work to make your home senior-friendly—ensuring that as you age and your needs change, your home remains accessible and convenient.
Rethinking Your Bathroom
The bathroom is one of the areas that tends to need the most work—the most care and the most attention. As you think about remodeling your bathroom for living in place purposes, here are a few basic pointers:
- Install hand rails and grab bars in tubs, showers, and toilet areas. These will simply make it easier for older folks to raise and lower themselves while greatly diminishing the chances of a fall.
- Replace the bathtub. Stepping into a traditional bathtub can prove problematic for some seniors, but walk-in bathtubs exist, which have doors built into the walls and make access easy. The only hard part is actually installing the thing, but that’s where professional plumbers come in handy!
- Replace the faucets. Some knob-styled faucets can be difficult for older folks to use, but there are some disabilities-sensitive faucets available that offer things like hot water stops and other safety precautions.
- Install anti-slipping surfaces. This is an easy fix and a crucial consideration. Slip-and-fall accidents are so common among seniors, and they are especially common in the bathroom area. Install anti-slipping mats not just in the tub or shower but also on the bathroom floors themselves. This could be life-saving!
- Raise the toilet. Let’s be honest: The toilet can sometimes seem like an awfully long way down! Installing a higher toilet can make life 50 times easier for seniors; again, this is an installation that any plumber can help with.
Aging in place requires some planning and commitment—but the results can be well worth it. To schedule some plumbing work to be done in your home—for aging in place purposes or otherwise—contact us at your convenience!