How To Make Your Bathroom More Accessible

Posted by Dominic Johnson on June 26, 2020

Photo by Joey from Pexels

It’s one of the smallest rooms in the house, and one used frequently, so it’s essential that it is both pleasant and safe.

The bathroom (or restroom as the Americans call it) is one place where we want to remain as private and independent as we can. Maintaining personal hygiene is a task we learn early on in life and one we prefer to do on our own.

Having a bath, or shower, is essential for keeping clean, but it can also be a luxury too. Taking a shower, with warm water cascading over you, or immersing yourself in a bath full of warm water full of bubbles, pampering yourself with sweet smelling soaps, shower gels and body lotions, is relaxing. It can melt away the stresses of the day and helps to relieve aching joints and muscles too. 

Here we take a quick look at how the bathroom can be made into a safe space, particularly as you get older and less steady on your feet.

Grab rails are an ideal mobility aid if you do find that you are less mobile than you once were. Grab rails are easy to install and provide steady pivot points in key strategic locations around the bathroom to hold on to.

A grab rail beside the toilet can help with sitting and rising from the loo. There are several different styles including floor standing, or wall fixed.

Placed alongside the bath or shower, a grab rail will help you to use both more independently. They’re available in many models including epoxy coated, chrome, or more contemporary brushed or chromed stainless steel.

For further details on how to choose the right grab rail, why not have a quick read of our guide on how to buy a grab rail.

Other mobility products which can help in the bathroom, include a reclining bath lift which allows you to lower and raise from the bath without too much effort, or strength.

The Mangar inflatable bathing cushion is an incredibly simple device which you can use in any bathroom, not just your own, as it’s easy to pack into a bag if you are going on holiday, or staying with family, or friends. It allows you to lower fully in the bath to the base of the tub, and then rise again when your soak is over.

For further details on how to choose a bath lift, have a read of our guide by clicking here.

To provide more confidence in the shower, why not sit instead of stand, by using a shower seat?

And, of course, to help prevent slips in the bathroom, we have a full range of non-slip bath and shower mats, too.

Using the loo is often the thing people struggle with and there are many mobility products to help here. Raised toilet seats are one of our most popular mobility products. They come in a range of sizes, from 5cm (2 inches) to (15cm (6 inches), with and without a lid. They help by making the task of raising and lowering from the loo easier, as it makes the seat higher. In fact, team a raised toilet seat with a grab rail and you have the perfect set-up to help make popping to the toilet simpler.

It's important to get the right height of raised toilet seat for you. To help you choose the correct raised toilet seat, have a read of our guide on how to measure for a raised toilet seat.

Toilet surround rail, or toilet safety frames are other mobility aids worth considering, if you find using the toilet harder than before. You simply place the frame around the toilet and it helps provide leverage when lowering and raising.

There’s a wide range of mobility products and disability aids, specifically designed to help make tasks in the bathroom slightly easier and less stressful. To view our full range click here.