No matter your age, condition, illness, or injury, modern life and independence are centered on the bathroom. We use the bathroom—toilet, sink and bath/shower—multiple times a day for waste disposal and hygiene. And without the ability to access the bathroom freely and easily, our health and our independence are at major risk.
That’s why Helios has always offered bath safety products from our Tampa home medical supply retail store. Today’s medical industry has innovated many solutions for independent living and bath safety, and we want to make sure that Tampa’s population has easy access to these solutions.
If you are recently injured, recovering, or experiencing limited mobility—or if you are caring for a patient or loved one who needs bath safety supplies—here’s what you should know:
The Risks and Challenges of Going to the Bathroom
The bathroom presents two major areas of concern:
- Everyone needs to be able to use the toilet when the urge strikes. Limited access to the toilet—including an inability to get there in time, and difficulties sitting down and standing back up from the toilet—can lead to major health concerns. Toilet access also affects emotional wellbeing.
- Bathrooms are even more difficult to navigate, and present more serious fall risks and injury risks, than other rooms in the house. Virtually every surface in the bathroom is hard, and water is often involved, making surfaces slippery. Smaller bathrooms can limit or prevent the use of mobility devices, and when people fall in a bathroom, they are likely to hit something hard on the way down.
Because of its necessity as well as its inherent risks, bath safety is a must. And for people with physical limitations, bathroom safety products can mean the difference between independent living and the need for around-the-clock assistance or risk of serious injury.
What You Need for Basic Bathroom Safety
A bathroom needs to be both accessible and safe. People should be able to access the toilet, including sitting down and standing up, and get into and out of the shower safely, without tripping or slipping.
The basic needs for bathroom safety can vary from home to home and person to person. But essentials often include safety rails, handles, and grab bars, as well as non-slip mats.
Other common solutions include transfer benches, which allow someone to sit safely outside of the tub, and then swing their legs into the shower area without standing up; and toilet safety rails, which provide something secure to hold onto as you lower and raise yourself off the toilet.
If your toilet isn’t always accessible, bedside commodes and bedpans can also be important parts of maintaining your health and hygiene.
Tampa Bath Safety Solutions
If you’re worried about yourself or someone you love safely accessing the bathroom, then you should call Helios ASAP. Bath safety is too important an issue to your everyday lifestyle.
The best time to shop for bath safety products is before you need them. For Tampa residents, the Helios store displays an array of safety options for your bathroom. You can stop by to see what might work for you and your home, and ask questions while you’re here. That’s one of the many advantages of a local brick-and-mortar home medical supply company.
Deckard & Company