Life@Home Article - Seniorizing a Bathroom

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2001

Seniorizing a Bathroom

Stylewiz.com, STYLERX, 2001

Time for Your House to Grow Up
By Christy Ferer

Attention Baby Boomers...so what if you're growing older (they're going to be twice as many of you over 65 by the year 2030), you're also growing wiser and so should your home. It's time to create a smart-aging home that is safer and more accessible to you or an aging parent. Start with some simple modifications where most accidents happen...in your bathroom:

Install a hand-held showerhead with non-slip handle from bedbathandbeyond.com for easy bathing.
Forget about "hospital white" grab bars, install stylish ones in every color, including brass, inside and outside the shower from lifehome.com.
Don't slip in the tub. Make sure to use a rubber mat inside and outside the shower from crateandbarrel.com.
Take a shower sitting down in style and safety with a shower bench from goldviolin.com in peacock blue.
For soap and shampoo at your fingertips, hang an automatic soap dispenser from stacksandstacks.com right above the faucet.
Keep a phone in the bathroom for any emergency...and place it low on the wall in case of a fall. The photo phone from futurememories.com uses pictures of loved ones and large numbers for easy speed dialing.

Don't stop at the shower, Smart-Age your Toilet as well. (click here)

For more safety tips, check out our Seniorizing Cheat Sheet or go to aarp.org or elderdesign.com for more information.