Lifeway Mobility Helps Improve Home Safety for the Sandwich Generation
Posted on by Rachel Baker
Are you struggling to take care of mom and dad…AND your children?
Lifeway Mobility helps people in the sandwich generation* care for both their parents and their children and keep them safe. We offer a variety of services in child safety and accessibility remodeling.
Throughout the next couple of weeks, we will be posting blogs on how Lifeway can help put Sandwich Generations’ minds at ease. This week’s blog concentrates on the ways we are able to help you improve your parents’ independence in the home through accessibility remodeling, starting with bathroom safety and accessibility
Bathroom Safety
The CDC reported that 81 percent of injuries experienced by those 65 and older were caused by falls and that one of the most common environments, where falls occur, is in the bathroom. Over one-third of older individuals require hospitalization following a bathroom incident. “Each year, 3 million older people are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries.” (“Home and Recreational Safety” 2017)
Consider these safety tips to reduce falls in the bathroom:
- Ensure shower doors are made of safety glass or replace them with a shower curtain.
- Take extra care when on a wet surface. Slip-resistant flooring is recommended for bathrooms, such as paint-on applications or self-adhesive non-slip strips.
- Grab bars are recommended in all positions around the bath and toilet. Never use a towel rail to support body weight.
- Hand-held shower hoses are a good idea, as are shower chairs or bath seats when mobility or balance is in question.
Lifeway Mobility strives to help prevent falls in the bathroom and to increase bathroom safety. Whether it is due to aging, illness or disability, when bathrooms need to be modified to reduce barriers for the safety and comfort of those at home — Lifeway can help. Our professionals can advise you on grab bars and other equipment to modify your bathroom to ensure maximum safety and independence.
It is not uncommon for individuals to need help getting in and out of the tub or shower. One of the simplest and most inexpensive ways that Lifeway is able to aide in increasing bathroom safety is through the installation of grab bars. Lifeway Mobility keeps stainless steel, concealed screw grab bars in stock, and carry them on our truck. This means that it is possible for our team member to install grab bars the same day that they do a home safety evaluation.
In addition to grab bar installations, we also offer barrier-free shower systems. The barrier-free showers that Lifeway installs are Best Bath brand. Barrier-free showers allow for easier entry and exit of the shower, especially for those who have difficulty lifting their foot over the lip of standard showers. Barrier-free showers also make it possible for wheelchairs to roll into and out of the shower, and transferring from a wheelchair to shower bench safer and more efficient. We are proud to partner with Best Bath and be able to install their wide array of barrier-free shower options.
For a free consultation, contact Lifeway Mobility today.
*The sandwich generation is a generation of people, typically in their thirties or forties, responsible for bringing up their own children and for the care of their aging parents.
Sources
“Home Assessments | Indianapolis, IN.” Lifeway Mobility, Home Safe Homes, 2018.
“Home and Recreational Safety.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.