Many seniors use dangerous bathroom features, even with security features available.

Shower and bathtub safety is a concern for older adults. One-third of people age 60 and older have difficulty getting in or out of a shower or tub, even with bathtub safety apparatus installed.

College of Michigan Health Systems conducted a study of partakers demonstrating how they normally climb in or out of a shower or tub in their homes. The videos showed whether partakers used grab bars, towel bars, shower curtains, glass doors, tub seats and other bits of the tub to help themselves get in or out.

Researchers also evaluated the videotapes to pinpoint the senior’s fluidity of movement, and whether or not they had difficulty negotiating their bath and shower environments.

All of the study participants were residents of senior housing facilities and had no cognitive impairments. Yet one in three of the participants “plopped” onto the bath seat, or hit the side of the shower or bathtub wall with their legs.

“We discovered that there are plenty of independently washing older adults who have trouble or are unsafe when getting in and out of the tub or shower,” claimed Susan L. Murphy an occupational consultant and University of Michigan research assistant professor.

“For older adults losing the facility to wash is connected with having falls, fracturing bones and even being admitted to a care home. It is very important that we do something to help stop showering incapacity before it occurs.”

Key Bathtub and Shower Safety Areas

According to analysts, common issues of safety include:

Employing a sliding glass shower door for stableness or balance. That issue was noted in 75 p.c of the older adults who use shower door glass enclosures

“This is intensely deadly because shower doors were not built to support a person’s weight.” Murphy asserted. That issue could be easily remedied by teaching older adults not to use the door as a support, or probably replacing it with a shower curtain, which was used only barely by participants.

Using dangerous shower and bath features. While the great majority of study partakers used bathtub safety hardware like grab bars when they were available, many used unsafe features in addition to the safe ones.

For instance, 70 % used unsafe shower features and 19 p.c used hazardous bath features, including tub seats and even using towel bars as support. One study participator exploited a lawn lounger as a tub seat, which researchers found especially dangerous due to the curved tub floor.

Some bath and shower safety issues are simple to fix, according to analysts, by replacing shower doors with shower curtains and providing proper instruction about the inbuilt loo security features (like grab bars designed for weight bearing) to residents of senior housing facilities. The study analysts also recommended putting more attention toward improving bathroom design, and training older adults about tub and shower safety.

“We believe the results from this report demonstrate the need for healthcare pros to become involved in helping to prevent washing incapacity, rather than just treating folk in the hospice after they have had a fall in the bathroom.” Murphy says.

While lavatories in senior housing facilities are engineered to be safe, we have found that older adults often do not know the difference between a grab bar and a towel bar. They also have unsafe strategies of getting into and out of their shower or tub.

Occupational therapists often see older adults for washing Problems and would be good to interpose with older adults before lose their abilities to wash.

Sharon Lindsay is a home safety consultant and columnist for newspaper San Diego. She also sits on the board of window cleaning San Diego.