For those of you who joined us last month, some of this will be old hat. But those of you who are just joining us in this series, welcome! The team at Roeser Home Remodeling looks forward to helping you understand what aging in place means and how to go about creating a home for yourself or the senior in your life to age safely and happily in.
This month we’re discussing designing a bathroom for seniors.
Overview
When designing a bathroom specifically for seniors, it’s important to ensure both their safety and comfort. Fortunately, the ADA has provided us with useful rules and suggestions to help us create the best possible bathroom. With some thoughtful consideration and planning, this type of design can result in a space that is both user-friendly and comfortable for all ages.
Location
At least one of the bathrooms in the home should be on the ground floor and available without having to negotiate around objects like furniture and additional doorways. If halls are part of the layout, then the halls themselves should be a minimum of 40 inches across. And doorways should be at least 42 inches wide to allow for easy entrance in a wheelchair.
Floor space
When designing a bathroom for seniors, floor space is extremely important. The room must have a minimum of 60 inches of turn around space for a wheelchair or walker. And the senior should be within easy reach of support in the form of grab bars and counters at all times.
While smooth tile floors are attractive to the eye, they are not safe for anyone, least of all seniors. The floor itself should have a flat, non-slip, textured surface. Fortunately, there are many attractive options available.
Toilet
There is a little play here, but only a little.
We typically recommend a raised or elevated toilet seat for added comfort and ease of use. Three inches can make a surprisingly big difference. However, when designing a bathroom for seniors, we need to take the personal needs of the individual or individuals we’re building for. A senior who is taller than average may not appreciate or need a change and by the same token, a senior who is of shorter stature may find using a toilet that is three inches taller more difficult than if it had been left alone.
However, grab bars on both sides of the toilet are not optional. You or your senior might never need them. But if they do, their absence could spell disaster.
Sink and Counter
The sink and counter should be lower than normal so that it’s easier for seniors to get close enough to wash their hands with less effort. All toiletries like toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. should be placed on easily accessed shelves beneath or beside the sink. For extra safety, grab bars should be placed around the sides of the sink if there is no counter.
For extra ease and comfort, all faucets should have lever-type handles, which are easier for arthritic hands. For the sink, consider touchless faucets for even more ease of use.
Shower And/or Bathtub
This is another area that allows for a certain degree of personal comfort. We strongly recommend walk-in showers and bathtubs. But a step-in tub is doable if preferred and the senior can easily manage getting in and out with a transfer chair or has someone available to help. However, once again, grab bars are non-negotiable. Their absence places the senior at risk of a fall they might not recover from. Also non-negotiable: non-slip mats should be placed in the shower and/or bathtub.
Minor Things That Are Majorly Important
Towel bars should be easily reached from a seated position. And though they should never be used in place of a grab bar, they should be sturdy enough to act as a secondary source of support if the senior slips.
Rugs should be removed or replaced with non-slip rubber mats that will not slide if someone loses their balance.
Consider handheld shower heads in the shower and bathtub to make it easier and more comfortable to clean hair and other parts of the body.
Good ventilation is important in all rooms, but especially the kitchen and bathroom. If you or the senior in your home have any breathing difficulties at all, the ability to vent smoke and steam is important. And fresh air is essential to good health, but especially to someone with a compromised respiratory system.
Lighting should not be overlooked when designing a bathroom for seniors. We recommend installing LED lights with adjustable brightness to both ensure that the space is easy to navigate and provide the senior with more control over the level of brightness. Don’t forget to place light switches that are accessible from a seated position and in more than one location. This too gives the senior more control over their environment. When possible, natural lighting is a nice touch as well.
Personal Touches
No one wants to live in a home that looks and feels like an institution. Introducing grab bars and changes in how your bathroom looks doesn’t mean that you can’t add attractive, personalized touches. Nice towels, plants in the window, attractive blinds, pictures, and shelves with personal decorative items are just a few options that will maintain the sense of hominess that can be so very important to one’s mental health.
Is Designing A Bathroom For Seniors On Your Horizon?
Regardless of your age, if you own your own home and plan to be in it for a while, it probably should be. Going into this phase of life with a plan is imperative. Designing a bathroom for seniors requires balancing the senior’s needs with comfort and happiness. Roeser Home Remodeling understands this more than most companies and we’ve become experts in the field.
Would you like to know more about how Roeser can help you with staying in your home as you age?
We’d love to meet with you and see if our aging in place remodeling services are a good fit for you and your home.
Our standards are high—when you come to us, you should know that. The Staff at Roeser Home Remodeling brings the same standards to every job—quality, customer satisfaction, and integrity. You will always get our best. Without fail. Our goal is to make the entire process as easy as possible while still giving the client the high-quality results they deserve.
Roeser Home Remodeling has been the recipient of many awards, including Best Houzz of 2020. Our Director of Design, Brandi Ward, has won several awards for her kitchen designs, and recently accepted one from ShowPlace Cabinets for her beautiful kitchen design.
We are members of the Home Builders Association of St Louis, which shows our willingness to be held accountable for the quality of our work. Roeser Home Remodeling uses only the best materials, including products like Wellborn Cabinets and Showplace Cabinets. And we have an A+ rating with BBB.
Want to know more? Check out our portfolio and give us a call.
Ready To Talk About Staying In Your Home As You Age?
We’re glad you stopped by! Would you like to know more about how Roeser can help you with staying in your home as you age?
We’d love to meet with you and see if our aging in place remodeling services are a good fit for you and your home.
Our standards are high—when you come to us, you should know that. The Staff at Roeser Home Remodeling brings the same standards to every job—quality, customer satisfaction, and integrity. You will always get our best. Without fail. Our goal is to make the entire process as easy as possible while still giving the client the high-quality results they deserve.
Because remodels take a while, we work to build positive relationships with our clients before and during the job. Having strangers in your home five days a week can be stressful. But we want you to miss us when we finish. Our work sites are clean and our employees are always polite and friendly.
Roeser Home Remodeling has been the recipient of many awards, including Best Houzz of 2020. Our Director of Design, Brandi Ward, has won several awards for her kitchen designs, and recently accepted one from ShowPlace Cabinets for her beautiful kitchen design.
We are members of the Home Builders Association of St Louis, which shows our willingness to be held accountable for the quality of our work. Roeser Home Remodeling uses only the best materials, including products like Wellborn Cabinets and Showplace Cabinets. And we have an A+ rating with BBB.
Want to know more? Check out our portfolio and give us a call.