Often with age it becomes more difficult to maintain hygiene standards, especially if the elderly person has disabilities. This can have negative affects on their pride and self-confidence.

By creating a bathroom experience that’s safe and comfortable, it makes it easier for the elderly to bathe independently and maintain good hygiene standards.

When designing a bathroom for the elderly, there are many factors you need to consider in the planning stages to maintain the highest safety standards for all those using these facilities.

To make planning elderly safe bathrooms a more simple and easy process, we’ve highlighted some of these below:

Install a Walk-in Bathtub

By adding a walk-in bathtub with a door to your elderly bathroom plan, users can get in and out more safely as the lip to step over is normally only about four inches high. This is unlike a traditional bathtub which can be up to 92 centimetres.

Install a Walk-in Shower

Another great feature when planning a safe bathroom for the elderly is a walk-in shower. Having a shower that has a floor on the same level as the rest of the house not only makes the shower easier to enter and exit, it also enables you to make your shower wheelchair accessible.

Make Sure your Bathroom Allows for Wheelchair Maneuverability

It’s crucial that you make sure there is room to easily maneuver a wheelchair in your elderly bathroom plans. If you also arrange to have an elevated vanity installed, the wheelchair can be rolled all the way to the sink for ease of use.

Have Seats and Grab Bars Available

By adding seats and grab bars to your elderly bathroom plan, you can accommodate all stages of mobility. These are important for the bathroom, shower and the toilet. Having grab bars installed is also required under Australian Standard 1428 to be compliant with regulations in a bathroom designed for access and mobility.

Slip-Proof Flooring

You can get slip-proof flooring for bathtubs and showers, as well as bathroom floors. If you’re planning a safe bathroom for the elderly, it’s essential to have slip-proof flooring. It’s affordable to install a slip-proof coating to a bathroom floor, making it cost-effective.

Have a Bathroom Entrance without a Step

If you plan your elderly bathroom without a step, then it’s a far simpler process to enter and exit. Don’t have a door over your bathroom entrance so it’s more accessible for wheelchairs or those with disabilities.

You can have a curtain or a wraparound entrance installed if privacy is essential or even add a sliding door. To allow a wheelchair access through a bathroom entrance 36 inches is the ideal width.