Most bathrooms have three potential hazards (think slippery surfaces, water, and electricity) so you can do something to improve accessibility and safety in a place of need. Bathroom adaptations for sensory impairments are simple measures that make the standard bathroom a practical and comfortable place for all family members to attend to personal issues. The dangers in the bathroom can prove fatal to young or old family members. The configuration of the bathroom can deny access to wheelchair-bound family members. A disabled person is by definition much less disabled when the area they need to use is accessible, suitable and safe. You can do a lot of work yourself with a little help from home improvement guides.
A fog or barrel can be made less dangerous by adding a surface texture. Grab bars are the primary safety feature for elderly, infirm or disabled users. Of course, if you have your house built to the specification of the difficulty of accessing problem solving skills in the blueprints. . A shared residence with a standard bathroom is a completely different story. Here are some steps to make a difference in bathroom accessibility and safety.
First: A wet, slippery shower, floor or tub can be deadly. To reduce the possibility of slipping, add texture to surfaces.
A. Wash standing surfaces to remove any soap, body oils, or mineral deposits. The final cleaning should be done with rubbing alcohol. The surface is completely dry.
B. In the shower arrange the bands of non-slip material around the drain like the rays from the sun, so the water is directed to the drain.
C. On the lip, adjust the ligaments to drain the series of arrows pointing.
D. When you are satisfied with the pattern, you will apply each strip of paper by picking it from one end. Press the end firmly into the surface and continue peeling back to attach the strip. Some time the straps may be longer than you need. If you need to shorten the strip, use scissors to cut it and cut around the corners to avoid curling up and then starting to peel the surface.
Second: Install the proper grab bars, which are in the walls of the anchor bolts. The towel bars were not strong enough to hold a 6 foot high, 220 pound man and the crash if he fell into the tub would literally break his mouth.
A. The latch should be a round metal tube with no sharp edges. It must be with flanges that can be attached to the wall studs with a toggle bolt and a three-finger screw.
B. Find the nails above the level of your barrel or tiles with an electrical tester (available at hardware or home improvement ) .
C. Find the center of the plumb line dropped by the plumb line (you will have this in the same place as the plumb line finder). Pay attention to the width of the wall stud (masking-tape works well) to the height you want to attach the nail bar. to the wall
D. Hold the LIP bar against the wall and mark on the tape with a washable pen or pencil where each of the six holes will be.
E. Put on your safety goggles, tap a little bit of iron with a hammer to hit the surface of the glass tiles, and then drill holes in the nail plate screws, and through the wall next to the plate in other holes for toggle bolts. Use a ½ inch carbide tipped drill bit for the toggle bolts and use a bit slightly smaller than the screw diameter to drill into the holes where the screws we will go Tape drag the wall and clean some pull the tape with rubbing alcohol.
F. Place the 3/16 inch toggle bolt into the hole in the fold and fill the inside of the cup lip with silicone caulk. Turn the bar and prepare the other end in the same way.
G. Carefully place the bar against the wall and push the toggle bolts through the wall into place. The club toggle will be on the back wall and can be tightened when needed. Place the three inch screws into the holes that were drilled into the bulbs and tighten as needed.
H. Caulk around each plate neatly dried for at least 24 hours.
Third: All electrical outlets in the bathroom must be circuit breakers worn out. Because electrical problems with older homes can be overcome by simply installing a new GFCI outlet, we recommend calling a licensed electrician for this task. Electricity in amounts as small as 5 milliamps can disrupt the normal heart rhythm of a healthy adult. For a family member with heart problems or who is otherwise frail or frail, this disruption can be immediately fatal. Just be safe and be skilled at this time of remodeling.
Special modifications:
If you have a family member who requires assistance in the bathroom or is confined to a wheelchair your bathroom will require approximately 60 square inches of clear floor space. This can be done in a pre-existing bathroom without the hall wall being removed and the room being enlarged. That is a separate article. For our purposes, let us assume that the space is sufficient for some special adaptations.
Roll in Shower: A shower curtain with a single threshold made of cheap flexible vinyl allows a shower chair or wheelchair to roll right into the shower and the threshold keeps water from spilling onto the floor.
Lip access: For a wheel chair access lip can not sit on the vanity. It is wall mounted and must be 34 inches high. Anything higher than a wheelchair cannot be easily reached. The ear cuffs should be long, the handle type rather than the knot type.
Toilet height modification: An addition to the toilet seat The seat height can be raised to the level of a wheelchair. They are bought from medical supply or drug stores. (Adding four inches to the chair also makes it easier for elderly or frail family members to sit or get up from the toilet).
Alternate Grab Bar: Placing a grab bar next to the seat gives the user more control over the sitting process and helps with standing when arthritic knees or hips are problematic. The latch also allows wheelchair-bound family members to transfer to the bathroom with greater safety and autonomy. Install the bar in the same way as you did for the shower and tub grab bars.
Doorway: The doorway into many bathrooms is small, 32 inches wide. If access is such that a straight wheelchair may be sufficient in it. If you access your bathroom from a narrow hallway, however, the door opener needs to be at least 36 inches wide. . Here are some options if you need to shape the door.
A. Install a sliding door or pocket door. You can find hardware and materials in the home improvement center.
B. Re-hang the existing door to the open exterior and use a hinged hinge. This can add up to two inches of usage open space.
C. If the goal is to bathroom from family members to remodel their room the open door can be more creative and will depend on the shape of the place and existing spaces.
There are much more complicated solutions that you might want to consider including a tub storage or shower when you include a walk in closet. There are many types and sizes available and one place to look for these designs is http://www.acessinc.com/bathtubs_with_door.htm.
Keeping a loved one in one’s own home with changing circumstances, changing things to adapt the home to the circumstances. Don’t be told by the employee, or adjustments. There are many products and sources of advice that can help you make your bathroom safer and easier. This article is followed by a list of resources.
Report:
- First Time Home Buyers Guide Improvement, 1998, Time Warner Inc. USA www.acessinc.com/handicap_bathrooms.htm www.homeexpo.com/HE/h1105.htm www.adaptiveaccess .com
