Remodelling your bathroom for people with reduced mobility

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Remodelling your bathroom for people with reduced mobility

Remodelling your bathroom for people with reduced mobility

13 June 2016
 Categories:
, Blog


Reduced mobility can result due to various causes. It may be age that beats down on someone or an accident or injury that may render one disabled. Whatever the cause, the bathroom needs to be remodeled so as to adapt to the persons with reduced mobility in the home. You don't want any seniors or disabled persons falling around or injuring themselves in your bathroom. Fortunately, there are a couple of tricks you can have in your bathroom to make it easily accessible to people with reduced mobility. Here are some working remodels.

Non-slip flooring

The first thing that you need to pay attention to is your floor. The catch here is to ensure it never gets slippery. You could add a non-slip mat or add a slip resistant glaze onto it. Try and steer away from glossy floors when remodeling your bathroom, and stick to grittier surfaces. If the bathroom is being tiled, then you'll be better off going for smaller tiles. Such tiles have more grout lines, which add more traction to the floor.

Replace your shower screens

Even the shower screens can affect the accessibility of your bathroom. You're looking for a shower screen that is waist high and hinged. It should also allow up to 180o rotation. That way, it'll be easier for the disabled to walk into the bathroom. Additionally, they may need assistance bathing; the waist high shower screen can be used to protect the caretaker from the splashing waters. That way, the caretaker won't get too wet.

Raise the toilets

The average toilet height is not high enough for people with mobility issues. A typical toilet seat is between 14 to 17 inches (35 to 43 cm). However, when there's an individual using a wheelchair, the toilet seats need to be raised  because wheelchairs have an average height of 18 inches (46cm). Raising the toilet seat to the same height as the wheelchair will make it easier to move between the two.

As a plus, also ensure there's enough clear floor space around the toilet. Extra space will make dismounting from the wheelchair, getting rid of some clothing and accessing nearby supplies such as toilet papers much easier.

Have grab bars

Grab bars in your bathroom can be a good way to ensure people with reduced mobility maintain their balance. You can fit these grab rails along your bathroom walls for easier support. Go for ribbed or fluted ones as they provide greater grip.

About Me
Getting some more privacy

I love how much light our house gets, but the people who were living before us must have been very open with the whole street knowing what they were up to at all times. I've never lived somewhere where so many rooms have really large windows - including the bathroom! We are slowly getting the glass replaced from plain glass panes into frosted and patterned glass so that we keep getting all of that lovely light in but so that the whole neighbourhood doesn't get to see us. This blog has before and after picture of the rooms in our house as we do the glass replacements.

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