Senior Bathroom Renovation in Toronto - Practical Tips for Safety and Style
Bathroom Remodel for the elderly persons and seniors with disability
If you’re building a new home, you can incorporate senior friendly bathroom principles from the get-go. If you are planning renovation for seniors for an existing home, you will probably need to borrow square footage from surrounding spaces to make room for necessary improvements.
Incorporating these accessible options ensures your bath will be comfortable, attractive, and usable for years to come.
Addressing Mobility Challenges in the Bathroom
Family members who have certain mobility difficulties related to age, elderly individuals or disability need special safety in their living space. Serious difficulties await people with limited mobility in bathrooms and toilets. As a rule, such rooms have tiled floors and walls, and the plumbing has a smooth, streamlined surface to make a senior friendly bathroom. The combination of such features with almost constant humidity leads to a high risk of injury to elderly person with limited mobility in the bathroom. You should carefully consider how to equip a bathroom for an elderly or disabled person so that they do not get injured and it is convenient for them to take a bath and go to the toilet.
Key Elements for Senior-Friendly Bathroom Design
Door size: Plan for clear door opening of at least 34 inches. Openings larger than 38 inches make it difficult to open and close doors from a seated position; narrower openings make it difficult, if not impossible, for a wheelchair to get through.
Hardware selection for senior friendly bathroom. Equip entrance doors, drawers, and faucets with lever or D-shape handles. They are easier to operate than knobs, especially for elderly person with arthritis or limited mobility.
Floor space. Typical-size wheelchair can make a turnaround in 5-foot -diameter area of clear floor space. Leave an area in front of the sink that measures at least 30x48 inches (although the clear floor space can overlap with other fixtures). Provide 48 square inches of clear floor space for the toilet and 60x60 inches in front of the tub for the bathroom for a senior .
Safe and Accessible Bathroom Fixtures
Bathtub. A bathtub made of a non-slip material, such as acrylic, would be optimal. To further reduce slipping, you can put a rough rubber mat on the bottom. The sides of the bathtub and its overall height should be small.
If a tub is a necessity, install grab bars in the tub along the sidewall and the two end walls for a senior friendly bathroom. Install the bars 33 to 36 inches above the floor and another set 9 inches above the tub rim. The bars must be at least 24 inches long. Avoid installing steps for climbing into the tub. They too easily become slippery in a wet environment.
Shower cabin. A more convenient option for a senior bathroom than a bathtub. When choosing the size of the shower area, you should consider the clearance of the entrance. Shower stalls are easier to get into and out than bathtubs. Choose a stall with no curb or a very short one. Slope the floor toward the drain to ensure the water stays within the enclosure. Shower stalls must measure at least 4 feet square with an opening that is at least 36 inches wide. Include grab bars, a single-handle lever control, a handheld shower spray, and a built-in bench or seat that is 17 to 19 inches high. The cabin should not have a high side, the interior space should be large enough. As with the bathtub, you should choose a non-slip material and put a rubber mat on the bottom of the stall. Bathroom remodel with shower should have stall doors with swing open, not slide, because sliding doors are more difficult for an elderly person to open, and they can get stuck in a half-open position.