Bathroom Remodeling Ideas for the Elderly & Handicapped

A poorly laid-out bathroom can be an unsafe environment, not just for elderly and handicapped individuals but for everyone using it. Add slick, wet surfaces to the mix and you have a recipe for disaster. After all, falls are the No. 1 household injury resulting in emergency room visits, and the vast majority of those accidents occur in bathrooms.

There is, however, a way that you can ensure the elderly or handicapped members of your household can safely and easily use the bathroom on their own, allowing them to maintain both their independence and dignity. All you have to do is keep these key bathroom remodeling design elements in mind—it’s probably easier than you think.

Accessible Bathroom Design Ideas

Take a moment to imagine what you think an accessible bathroom looks like? Got it? Okay, forget everything you just envisioned. Most homeowners equate bathroom safety products with sterile hospital rooms; the equipment is bulky, gray, and—if we’re being honest—a little depressing. The bathroom remodels of today, however, tend to favor trending contemporary interior designs! At some point, manufacturers began to understand the importance of aesthetic appeal in the bathroom—no matter the accessory’s or product’s purpose—and that realization has stuck with the times. On a related note, interior designers have continued to find creative solutions for homeowners in need of more accessible bathrooms. They combined the principles of universal design (a concept that promotes the design of products and environments that are usable by all) to establish a new standard for bathrooms.

Here are some of our favorite accessible bathroom remodeling design ideas that came from these principles:

• Main-level bathing access – If the first floor of your home has only a powder room or half bath, consider expanding it to a full bath.
• Low-entry and no-entry showers – A standard doorway is approximately 30- to 32-inches wide. Tub-to-shower conversions and walk-in showers typically feature wide, seamless entries that can make it easier for everyone to move into and out of the bathing area.
• Floating vanities – A cabinet mounted directly to a wall without extending to the floor will allow a wheelchair user to tuck his or her legs underneath it to gain access to the sink.
• Ensuring adequate illumination – Place light fixtures in the entryway, around the vanity, and over the shower.
• Bathroom safety accessories – Products like slip-resistant flooring, grab bars, and in-shower seating are all easy to install and can make a huge difference in the overall accessibility of your bathroom.

Bathroom Safety Products From BathWraps

BathWraps is pleased to offer low-threshold, walk-in showers that are a safer and more practical alternative to a traditional shower/tub combination with high tub walls to step over. Made in the U.S.A. from premium nonporous acrylic, our products can be installed by our factory-trained professionals in as little as one day. They’re also surprisingly affordable and can be customized down to the last detail, including sturdy bench seating, handy grab bars, convenient shelving, soap caddies, multiple showerheads, and much more.

For more ideas on how to make your bathroom safer for elderly and handicapped users—as well as for everyone else—click here to find an authorized BathWraps dealer near you.