Getting on and off the toilet seat is a common cause of bathroom trips and falls among the elderly, which in some instances results in serious injuries. With age, your elderly loved one’s leg muscles become weaker, and accessing a toilet, especially a low one, becomes a challenge. As such, it is crucial to take the necessary precautions and safety measures to avoid such falls and slips.
However, you do not have to worry! This guide covers the best toilet aids for the elderly and how you can best make your toilet safe for your elderly loved one. Moreover, it will identify common safety issues and point you to the appropriate toilet aids.
Common Toilet Safety Issues with the Elderly
Slippery Floors
Most toilets in the bathroom areas have slick and wet surfaces. As a result, seniors find it challenging to access them due to the risk of slips and falls. It’s even worse if the bathroom area does not have grab rails guiding to the toilet for support. The National Safety Council indicates that fall injuries account for more than 3 million visits to emergency rooms each year, with most of these patients getting hospitalized for advanced medical care due to head injuries or bone fractures.
Pain from Bending and Straining
Chronic back, neck, knee, and shoulder pain are among the most debilitating conditions the elderly experience. Inability to get up or down from a low toilet seat or simply straining to grasp out-of-reach toilet fixtures may create considerable agony for seniors or exacerbate existing aches and pains.
Injuries from Obstacles
Obstacles such as clutter are among the top causes of trips and falls in the bathrooms and toilets. For instance, a low-lying frame may result in serious head injuries, especially for people unfamiliar with the particular bathroom. Similarly, items on the floor may cause trips, resulting in falls, which can be fatal.
Weak Grab Bars
Grab bars may be helpful, but they can also pose a risk if incorrectly installed. Such bars are likely to get loose and detached with time, especially when an individual is holding onto them. Similarly, washroom fixture racks that aren’t designed to bear much weight are no different.
Accidents Due to Poor Vision
Usually, people develop eyesight issues as they age, making it hard to maneuver through poorly lit rooms and walkways. As a result, they become prone to falling, bumping into walls, and other injuries.
Inability to Grip Faucets
Many older persons have difficulty gripping lavatory items because of arthritis, injuries, loss of muscle strength, and other issues. This might make routine activities like washing hands or flushing the toilet more difficult. In addition, gripping might exacerbate an existing injury or problem, leading to further medical visits and the need for pain medication.
Why Are Toilet Aids for the Elderly Important?
Seniors Become More Independent
Bathroom visits are personal matters. As such, people usually prefer to do them independently whenever possible. Toilet aids such as raised toilets have made this possible as the seniors remain independent and safe at the same time.
Hygiene Improvement
The fear of falling while overstretching may induce some seniors and people with disabilities to put off utilizing washroom fixtures such as tissue papers. However, these persons can manage their personal hygiene practices with toilet aids like caddies and toilet grab bars.
User Safety
High toilet seats improve safety because they give a stable basis for sitting. As a result, rising becomes easier, reducing the risk of slips and falls. Even better, installing grab bars near the toilet will expose users to less falling risk while moving around.
Caregivers Work in a Safer Environment
Caregivers are also at risk when caring for a senior in an environment without safety features. They may slip and fall while supporting the elderly, resulting in serious injuries. However, the right tools can reverse such a situation.
For instance, washrooms with raised toilet seats and grab rails allow caregivers to move the patient safely to the house from the toilet, and vice versa.
Minimizes Impact on the Joints
The impact on joints is often a source of worry for persons who suffer from mobility-related problems. It is even worse for them if they have to bend and rise excessively in the toilet. Toilet aids like lifts ensure that such individuals reduce the amount of time they spend straining their joints, improving their toilet use experience.
Top Toilet Aids for the Elderly
Toilet Frames
This free-moving structure provides support to the elderly when using the toilet. It is lightweight, portable, and easy to clean, and it is constructed with comfort and safety in mind. In addition, seats and ergonomic grip handles are available on certain models, making them more comfortable to use.
Toilet Safety Rails
This free-moving structure provides support to the elderly when using the toilet. It is lightweight, portable, and easy to clean, and it is constructed with comfort and safety in mind. In addition, seats and ergonomic grip handles are available on certain models, making them more comfortable to use.
Grab Bars
Grab bars assist seniors in conveniently accessing the washroom by providing sturdy support, reducing bathroom accidents. These bars come in many sizes and shapes, and your bathroom’s design will determine the best grab bar type.
There are two types of toilet grab bars:
- The one attached to the wall next to the toilet.
- A drop-down support bar extending from the wall behind the toilet.
Shower Toilets
A shower toilet is a toilet assist that enables the users to wash, flush, and dry all at once, allowing them to regain their freedom. Even better, the top shower toilets position the users so that the wash and dry process is successful.
Note that toilet aids like these need some bathroom remodeling, but it’s well worth the effort since they improve the user’s life quality.
Raised Toilet Seats
Over time, the regular toilet seats in a standard bathroom become more difficult for the elderly. As a result, caregivers tend to install raised toilet seats with a roughly four-inch elevation and feature rails on both sides. These features make the seats easily accessible to seniors.
Further, you can improve the conditions of the seat by installing safety rails which will help raise you off the seat, giving you additional aid and safety. The best thing is that you don’t have to renovate your bathroom during the installation process.
Toilet Lifts
The purpose of toilet lifts is to assist seniors in accessing the toilets more conveniently by raising and lowering the toilet seat. Hence, users easily access and egress from the seat, protecting the joints from excessive straining resulting from bending and rising.
Additionally, toilet lifts are of many designs, where some connect at your toilet’s top a height, giving you some additional inches. Others come with height adjustable frame attachments allowing you or your loved one to customize the height according to your needs. The lifts also come with handles for extra support and stability for the seniors.
Commode Chairs
Commodes are among the most well-known and extensively utilized toilet mobility aids. These toilets aren’t affixed in one location like regular ones. Instead, they’re portable, and seniors can use them anywhere in the house and then flush the waste down the toilet. As a result, the commode is a good fit for incontinence patients due to its convenience feature.
Types of Commode Chairs
Standard Commode
This is the most basic form of a commode, and it comes with a bucket and splash guard. The splash guard is used for protection from toilet water splashes, while the bucket is utilized if the user is using the commode in another room other than the toilet.
Tilt Commode
This commode can be used as a bedside or bathroom toilet aid. It tilts and rises, conveniently allowing people to stand and sit at favorable heights.
Folding Commode
This type of commode is convenient for seniors who travel a lot. It is easily foldable to a size that fits easily in the trunks of most vehicles, and its lightweight allows for easy transportation.
Toilet Stools
Toilet stools assist older adults in enhancing their digestive health as they approach their golden years. It improves the restroom posture by helping the user assume the squatting position for more efficient elimination.
Moreover, its design is in such a way that individuals can store it at the toilet’s base, reducing the amount of clutter in the restroom. Besides efficient elimination, health practitioners also indicate that squatting prevents chronic illnesses like colon infections, hemorrhoids, and constipation.
Wipe Assist Tools
Seniors over the age of 65, obese individuals, and persons with various mobility issues face many daily challenges. One of those issues might be the inability to clean oneself after a bowel movement. The good thing is there are self-wiping toilet aids available to make life easier. The most popular ones include:
Conclusion
Your elderly loved ones are bound to struggle when accessing the toilet, primarily because of their weak joints and muscles. However, the above-recommended toilet aids make the whole process easy, safe, and manageable. For instance, grab bars may seem basic, but they go a long way in not only easing toilet access but also preventing potential injuries from risks and falls.
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