[AD] Making Your Bathroom Grandparent Friendly

Old age does not come alone and one thing that will always slow down our elderly relatives is mobility. This has certainly happened in our lives. My mum is in her later years and has definitely become less mobile. This is why we have to re-think our bathrooms and make them easier for her to use because she stays over quite a bit nowadays. I went browsing on the internet to find a company that could help in making the bathroom a more friendly place for my mum. Whilst browsing I came across Premier Care in Bathing. They had everything I needed to upgrade our bathroom so my mum could use it easily.

Here are a few changes that I will be making to make our bathroom a safer environment for my mum.

1. Walk In Shower

Getting in and out of the bath has now become an almost impossible task for my mum. This is why we have decided to remove the bath altogether and have it replaced with a walk in shower. It will be perfect for her when she stays over with us for the holidays such as Christmas or Easter.

A walk in shower will offer her easy access and, if required, there is enough room for a carer to help her too. Of course the chances of slipping are reduced because it will have a slip resistant tray. It will also have a comfortable seat so my mum can sit down whilst showering and it is most importantly low level access. Walk in showers is definitely the way forward for us.

2. Hand Rails/Grips

My mum is very unsteady on her feet and uses a walking stick to help her with her walking. Of course it’s not always possible to have her walking stick in the bathroom, so I will be fitting hand rails in the bathroom in areas where they are needed most such as next to the toilet. This will give her a feeling of safety when using the toilet. I will also be adding them to our new walk-in shower too to help her when showering.

It’s very important to me that when my mum stays over with us at our home that she is comfortable and also able to use our bathroom with ease just as she does in her own home.

These are changes that don’t alter how we will use the bathroom, but it will make it a bathroom friendly for an elderly grandparent.

Do you have an elderly grandparent living with you or staying with you from time to time and do you have plans to alter your bathroom to make it more accessible to make their lives easier?

I would love to hear in the comments below.

Disclosure: This is a paid collaboration with Premier Care.