Home remodels are conducted for many different reasons. Some people remodel their houses just to spruce up the interior décor and to make the whole house more appealing. Other people remodel their homes with a more functional objective in mind. You could be adding more space to the existing rooms, adding new rooms to accommodate a growing family, or upgrading the appliances and fixtures to make your home more efficient and eco-friendly. All these reasons are fine. It’s your house, you are paying for the remodel, and hence you have the right to choose the outcome. There are some more personal reasons for conducting a home remodel. You can decide to remodel your home to accommodate an invalid who is using a wheelchair. You can also remodel your home to make it more habitable for your elderly folk. This is called creating a seniors friendly environment. One of the most important rooms in the house is the bathroom. And when you are remodeling for seniors, you should pay particular attention to this room. The bathroom is very functional but quite dangerous. It’s even more dangerous for the elderly. Your bathroom remodel for seniors’ should focus on the following safety and functional features.
Enhanced Safety
One of the main reasons for remodeling a bathroom for seniors is to improve the safety. You should consult a professional plumber or remodeler who specializes in DC bathroom remodeling for seniors to discuss various safety features for the bathroom. Here are a few suggestions that will help enhance the safety of your bathroom and make it better for the elderly in your house.
Slip Resistant Floors
A seniors’ bathroom should have slip resistant floors. You should pay more attention to this safety feature because slippery bathrooms are very risky for someone using a cane or walker. Choose rough-textured slip resistant tiles or apply rough-textured floor mats to enhance the traction in your bathroom.
Walk-In Bathtubs
The bathtub is one of the most relaxing plumbing appliances at home. It’s also one of the most dangerous installations in the bathroom. Modern bathtub manufacturers have acknowledged the danger and designed some super safe bathtubs. The most recommendable model for seniors is the walk-in bathtub with a seat. Check with your local plumber for what would work best with your situation.
Extra Safe Showers
The shower area is the most sensitive section in the bathroom in terms of safety. The floor should be slip resistant. For seniors, you should also add other safety features like a shower seat and grab-on bars.
Upgrade The Toilets
In addition to the safety concerns mentioned above, you should also address the comfort of the elderly in your bathroom. That is why you should upgrade to raised or comfort height toilets. Grab-on bars should also be added to the toilet for safety. A bidet is also a good idea.
Ensure Ease Of Accessibility
When remodeling your bathroom for seniors, remember to make it easier to access. If you have stairs in your house, make sure that there is a bathroom on every floor. Also increase the space in the bathroom to make it easier to use the various amenities.
Improve Lighting
And last but not least, improve the lighting in the bathroom. The remodeler should add lights in various spaces in the bathroom. Automatic lights can be very useful especially for those middle of the night bathroom visits.