Senior Living

SAN RAFAEL — Host, Sarah Rutan: Improving the safety of your bathroom and bedroom is important when caring for the elderly. Today, we’re in Tiburon with Diamond Certified Expert Contributor Debra Allen of Marin Convalescent & Rehabilitation Hospital to hear more.

Diamond Certified Expert Contributor, Debbie Allen: One of the most common problems with the elderly is trip and falls, and also mobility issues. We have removed rugs from the bathroom because that’s one of the most common places for them to trip. And then also, we have installed grab bars. You can have a local contractor install them for you. And this is one way for them to easily get on and off the toilet. Read more

TIBURON — Nowadays, many elderly adults are opting to stay at home rather than move to assisted living or skilled nursing facilities. If this is the case with your loved one, your most important consideration should be creating a safe living environment within the home.

Statistically, more people are injured in their bathrooms than in any other room, so that’s a good place to start. First, remove all rugs and mats—they can cause an elderly person to trip. Install grab bars in the shower and alongside the bathtub and toilet to make these fixtures safely accessible. Finally, if you have a low toilet seat, purchase an adjustable seat riser to accommodate accessibility needs. Read more

CONCORD — Host, Sarah Rutan: The bathroom can be one of the most dangerous rooms in the home. Today we’re in Concord with Diamond Certified Expert Contributor, Kimeri Opacic of ReBath by Schicker to learn a few ways that you can make your bathroom safer.

Diamond Certified Expert Contributor, Kimeri Opacic: When you’re remodeling your bathroom, you may want to consider if you’re going to stay in your home a long time and if you want to age in place. There are a lot of things you can choose to make it easier to get in and out of the bathroom. If you don’t really care about baths, you can convert your bathtub into a shower with a seat that makes it a lot easier to – Read more

CONCORD — When remodeling your bathroom, it’s important to consider how long you plan to live in your home and if you want to age in place. If so, you’ll want to take measures to improve safety and accessibility in your bathroom.

The first thing to do is consider your tub and shower options. Whereas a traditional bathtub can pose a danger to those with limited mobility, a walk-in bathtub is equipped with a door that provides a lower, more safely accessible entryway. You also might consider converting your current shower to one with a zero threshold, which means the entryway is level with the floor to allow easy access for walkers and wheelchairs. Read more