Aging comes with certain challenges, and mobility is a big one for many senior citizens. Mobility issues affect peoples’ ability to do even the simplest tasks, such as preparing food, keeping the house clean, and even bathing and dressing themselves. If you or a loved one is having difficulty with bathing or mobility in general, remodeling their bathroom for improved safety and accessibility offers solutions to help elderly people maintain their health, happiness, and independence.

As we get older, everyday activities become more difficult. For many of our valued Chesterfield VA senior citizens, mobility issues have a huge impact on their daily lives, such as:



• Slip and Fall Accidents - Many homes come with a shower/tub combination, which is great for younger families with small children, but it becomes both a significant risk and a challenge for elderly people with mobility problems. This traditional bathtub setup involves stepping over the threshold into the tub to bathe. Combined with the wet surface inside the tub, this often results in slip and fall accidents that can be dangerous or even deadly. 
• Health Risks - Sometimes people with mobility issues, including elderly people, decide simply not to bathe as often as they need to due to the challenges of doing so and/or the need to stay in control of some aspect of their life when they feel like caretakers are trying to control their every move. This creates problems with unpleasant smells (that they might not even notice) as well as danger of health problems such as infections due to poor hygiene. 
• Maintaining Independence - It’s often especially important to elderly people to remain in their own homes and live their lives independently. While assisted living facilities are an option for senior citizens with mobility issues, they’re usually not preferred. 

If you can relate to those problems on behalf of yourself or an elderly loved one, you’re probably wondering how you can make your bathroom safer and more accessible for easy and enjoyable bathing. Here are some of our best tips to equip your bathroom with features that will make it safer and easier to use for anybody with mobility issues, including the elderly.

• Opt for a Shower – Having your old shower/tub combination removed and replacing it with a large open shower will make it much easier and less risky to get in and out of the shower by eliminating the need to step over such a large threshold. Showers can also make bathing more efficient and make certain tasks, like hair washing, easier than it would be while seated in a tub. It’s not easy to remodel a bathroom, though. Trying to take on a bathroom remodeling project by yourself can be dangerous and end up costing you more than expected. We recommend partnering with a trusted, licensed, and insured bathroom remodeling contractor to ensure that the job is done right while staying on budget and within your completion timeframe. TD Kitchen & Bath Remodelers helps homeowners in Chesterfield VA and surrounding areas achieve beautiful bathroom remodels with a remodeling journey they enjoy. 
• Ask Your Contractor to Install Grab Bars – Many elderly people have trouble maintaining balance while getting in and out of the shower and it’s common to grab onto a towel rack, but those aren’t designed to bear the weight of a person, so they could break and cause a dangerous fall. The solution is to have grab bars installed in the areas that are commonly used for support (this varies from person to person). Grab bars are specifically designed for this purpose and can make bathing much safer and easier for you or your loved one.
• Add a Shower Chair or Built-In Shower Bench – Once in the shower, it makes it much easier for some senior citizens to have the option of sitting down to rest or find stability during their shower. This can be accomplished by incorporating a built-in shower bench in your bathroom remodel design or by simply purchasing a shower chair that can be placed anywhere within the shower. 
• Add Non-Slip Shower Mats – Non-slip shower mats are pretty inexpensive and a great addition to the safety features of your new bathroom. You can get non-slip mats for the interior of the shower as well as the area just outside of it to reduce the risk of slip and fall accidents on wet surfaces. 
  

If you or an elderly loved one is dealing with mobility issues as we’ve discussed and you’re ready to consider solving these problems with a professional bathroom remodel, TD Kitchen & Bath Remodelers is here to help. We’re your trusted local “bathroom remodeling contractor near me,” and we have the experience and expertise to make your bathroom not only safer and more accessible but also modern and beautiful, so that you and your loved ones can remain in your own home safely and live independently more easily. 

Take the first step to your new bathroom today! Schedule your free, no obligation bathroom remodeling consultation.