By Anna Hazard
Introduction
According to the Center of Disease Control, around 235,000 non-fatal injuries are suffered in the bathroom per year within the USA with over 80% directly caused by falling. This is often due to the slippery surface of the room's waterproof flooring. Thus remodeling the bathroom floor for greater safety and accessibility should be a priority when it comes to preparing a household for aging in place, especially as 80% of all falls by those aged 65+ also occur in the bathroom (with an estimate of around 1/3rd of the senior population potentially suffering a fall during the year).
Flooring can be measured with a dynamic coefficient of friction whereby the higher the number, the better the slip resistance. For the bathroom, a coefficient of 0.42 or higher will be needed. While the ceramic tile industry has adopted these friction ratings for safety reasons, other materials are optimally recommended for floor use in the bathroom.
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By Anna Hazard
Introduction
Grab bars are a necessity within the bathroom when it comes to aging in place as they can help prevent many falls and subsequent injuries within the area. In particular, the bathroom is the source of around 80% of the falls taken by 1 in 3 seniors every year within the USA (with a full 30-50% of those falls being avoidable as they were caused by environmental factors such as slippery surfaces, tripping hazards, poor lighting etc).
Due to this, installing grab bars and other safety features within the room should be one of the first procedures done when making a household more accessible.
By Anna Hazard
Introduction
Here are a selection of inexpensive & easy to make DIY sensory toys that have a St. Patrick's day theme (which includes rainbows, pots of gold, shamrocks & clover, as well as other suitably green tinted recipes & tutorials). Crafts range from various varieties of doughs suitable for tactile, olfactory, and gustatory stimulation as well as visual bottles, bags, and balls for more convenient and less messy play.
In particular, sensory toys are recommended for their therapeutic effect on kids, seniors, caregivers and others in need of stress relief, patients with dementia or Alzheimer's, as well as those with arthritis and other hand issues.
By Anna Hazard
Introduction
As one ages, it's pretty typical that a person may require larger bathroom storage including shelving & cabinets in order to accommodate more equipment. This would include the storage of common bathroom ableware or daily living aids for bathing or grooming as well as medical or health related devices (such as toiletry aids, extended reach bath sponges, transfer benches & other adjustable seating etc).
Here are a selection of tips & advice for remodeling, retrofitting, or simply tweaking a bathroom's storage, shelving, and cabinets to better fall within the guidelines of accessibility & universal design for properly aging in place. |
AboutNews updates, tips, and guides on senior care, senior health, stress relief and a host of other caregiving related topics from the professionals at Ella Stewart Care. |