Bathroom Safety for Special Needs and the Handicapped; Re-model it Yourself

Most bathrooms have three potential hazards (think soap slick surfaces, water, and electricity) that you can do something about to improve the accessibility and safety in the room of necessity. Bathroom adaptations for disabilities are simple common sense measures that make a standard bathroom into a practical and comfortable place for all members of the family to attend to personal issues. The hazards in a bathroom can prove deadly for young or elderly family members. The configuration of a bathroom may deny access to wheelchair bound family members. A handicapped person is by definition much less handicapped when the area they need to use is accessible, adapted and safe. You can do much of the work yourself with a little help from home improvement guides.

A shower or tub can be rendered less dangerous by adding texture strips to the surface. Grab bars are a primary safety feature for elderly, infirm or handicapped users. Of course if you are having your house built to specifications for handicap access the problem will be solved in the blueprints. Standard housing with the standard bathroom is a totally different story. Here are some steps to take to make a difference in your bathroom accessibility and safety.

First: The wet, slick shower floor or tub can be deadly. To reduce the possibility of a slip, add texture to the surfaces.
A. Wash the standing surface to remove any soap, body oils, or mineral deposits. The final cleaning should be done with rubbing alcohol. Let the surface completely dry.
B. In the shower arrange strips of non-slip material around the drain like rays from the sun so water is directed toward the drain.
C. In a bathtub, arrange the strips in a series of arrows pointing toward the drain.
D. When you are satisfied with the pattern apply each strip by peeling off the paper backing from one end. Press the end firmly onto the surface and continue peeling the backing away as you attach the strip. Some time the strips may be a bit longer than you need. If you need to shorten a strip, cut it with scissors and round off the corners so it will not curl up and start to peel off the surface later.

Second: Install proper grab bars that are anchored to the studs in the walls. Towel bars are not strong enough to hold a 6 foot tall, two hundred and twenty pound man and the crash if he falls in the tub is literally bone shattering.
A. The grab bar should be a round metal tube with no sharp edges. It should be designed with flanges that can be attached to the wall stud with a toggle bolt and three inch screws.
B. Find the stud above the level of your tub or shower tile with an electric stud finder (available at hardware or home improvement stores).
C. Find the vertical center of the stud by dropping a plumb line (get this at the same place you get the stud finder). Mark the width of the wall stud (masking tape works fine) at the height you want the grab bar flange to attach to the wall.
D. Hold the bar flange 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 punch with a hammer to break the surface of the tile glazing and then drill pilot holes into the stud for the screws and through the wall beside the stud on the other holes for the toggle bolts. Use a carbide tipped �½ inch drill bit for the toggle bolts and use a bit that is slightly smaller than the screw diameter for drilling into the studs where the screws will go. Pull the tape off the wall and clean any residual adhesive off with rubbing alcohol.
F. Place a 3/16 inch toggle bolt into the hole on the flange and fill up the inside cup of the flange with silicone caulk. Turn the bar around and prepare the other end the same way.
G. Carefully position the grab bar against the wall and push the toggle bolts through the wall into place. The toggle bolts will be in behind the wall and can be tightened with a screwdriver. Place the three inch screws into the holes that were drilled into the studs and tighten with a screwdriver.
H. Caulk neatly around each flange and let dry for at least 24 hours.

Third: All electrical outlets in a bathroom should be ground fault circuit interrupters. Because the electrical issues with older homes may go beyond simply installing a new GFCI outlet I recommend calling in a licensed electrician for this chore. Electricity in as small an amount 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 compromised this disruption can be instantly fatal. Just be safe and call in the experts for this phase of the remodel.

Special Modifications:

If you have a family member who requires help in the bathroom or is confined to a wheelchair your bathroom space needs will be about 60 square inches of clear floor space. This may be impossible in a pre-existing bathroom without removing the hall wall and enlarging the room. That is an issue for a separate article. For our purposes we will assume the space is adequate for some special adaptations.

Roll in Shower: A shower with one of the low thresholds made of flexible vinyl allows a shower chair or wheel chair to roll right into the shower and the threshold keeps the water from running out onto the floor.

Washbasin access: For wheel chair access the washbasin cannot be mounted on a vanity. It must be wall mounted and should be 34 inches high. Any higher cannot be easily reached from a wheel chair. The faucet handles should be the long, lever type handle rather than the knob type.

Toilet height modification: An add on toilet seat that raises the seat height to the level of the wheel chair seat can be purchased at medical supply or drug stores. (A four inch add on seat also makes it easier for elderly or frail family members to sit or get up from the toilet.)

Another Grab Bar: Placing a grab bar beside the toilet gives the user more control over the sitting process and assists in rising when arthritic knees or hips are a problem. The grab bar also allows wheel chair bound family members to transfer onto the toilet with more safety and autonomy. Install the bar in the same fashion as you do for the shower and tub grab bars.

Doors: A door way into many bathrooms is a meager 32 inches wide. If the access is such that a wheel chair can go straight in that may be adequate. If you get to your bathroom from a narrow hallway however the door opening needs to be at least 36 inches wide. Here are some options if you need to remodel the door.
A. Install a sliding door or a pocket door. You can find the hardware and materials at a home improvement center.
B. Re-hang an existing door to open outward and use swing clear hinges. This can add up to two inches of useable space to the opening.
C. If the target bathroom opens out of the family members own bedroom remodeling the door opening can be more creative and will depend on the configuration of the room and existing spaces.

There are much more involved solutions that you may want to consider that include replacing existing tub or shower with the walk in type. There are several styles 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 their own home when circumstances change may be a matter of changing the home to fit the circumstances. Do not be intimidated by the words remodeling, or adaptations. There are many products and sources of advice that can help you make the bathroom safer and more accessible. A list of resources follows this article.