When designing bathrooms and toilets in a home where older people live, it is important to take into account their specific needs and limitations.
This article discusses the rules that must be followed when equipping a bathroom and toilet for maximum comfort and safety for older people.
1. Installation of handrails and supports
Older people often have difficulty standing while taking a shower or getting up and sitting on the toilet.
They also often have impaired coordination of movements and reactions. Installing handrails and supports in the bathroom and toilet significantly facilitates hygiene procedures and increases the level of safety. Handrails should be installed at the edge of the bathtub and next to the toilet.
2. High toilet
It is difficult for older people to rise from a low toilet, so it is advisable to think about the appropriate height, which should be at least 46 cm.
It is important to consider the height and select a toilet for a specific person. Remember: when sitting, the knees should not be at an acute angle. The optimal angle at the knees is 90 degrees, and the feet should be firmly placed on the floor.
3. Installing a shower chair
A shower chair will make the shower process much easier for people who cannot stand on their feet for long periods of time.
4. Use of anti-slip coatings
Even young people slip and fall, and the bathroom and toilet are the most dangerous rooms in the house from this point of view.
Not only is it easy to slip there, but you will also definitely fall on something hard and traumatic (toilet, bathtub, cabinet, washing machine, washbasin). Therefore, it is important to use anti-slip flooring, and choose furniture with rounded corners.
5. You need to think about cleanliness in advance
Keeping your bathroom clean is a challenge when you're no longer 30. It's hard to constantly wash everything and get rid of fungi and bacteria that multiply quickly in a humid environment.
Therefore, choose plumbing, tiles and furniture that repel water well, do not have a complex configuration and small parts, so that they are easy to clean. Instead of open shelves, it is more advisable to purchase closed cabinets.
When designing bathrooms and toilets in a home where older people live, their specific needs and limitations should be taken into account.
For example, for people with sore joints, it is better to install a shower instead of a bath.
If there is a regular bathtub, then it is important for a person to be able to hold on to a stable, ergonomic and well-fixed support.
A shelf or cosmetic basket should be within reach, the same applies to a towel holder. It is also worth buying a separate mobile phone for the bathroom, so that in case of an accident a person can call an ambulance or relatives.
