Seniors and people with limited mobility may often find bathroom-related activities challenging and hazardous. To accommodate them better, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides a set of guidelines that you can follow when designing your bathroom. Here are a few tweaks you can apply to make this area ADA-accessible:
1. Purchase Grab Bars
One of the most crucial ways you can make your bathroom ADA-compliant is to install stainless steel grab bars or assist bars in the tub, shower, and toilet area. These fixtures can aid the elderly and people with mobility issues to safely exit and enter the shower and bathtub. The bars can also help them transfer from their wheelchair onto the toilet seat and vice versa.
As per the ADA guidelines, grab bars should not rotate within their fittings. They should be properly installed to support 250 pounds of force, and they should be 34 to 38 inches above the floor. The diameter of these bars should be between 1 ¼ and 1 ½ inch.
2. Ensure Your Toilet Is User-Friendly and Accessible
The ADA guidelines recommend that a toilet be between 17 and 19 inches high. That is because toilets in this height range can easily accommodate people with wheelchairs or walkers.
A grab bar should also be placed on the rear wall to support them when they use the toilet. It is ideal for installing support bars 36 inches apart on both sides of the bowl, but you can also place one bar on the side wall closest to the toilet.
3. Provide Enough Space for Your Bathroom
Seniors and individuals with mobility issues often use wheelchairs, crutches, canes, and other walking mobility equipment. Make sure that your bathroom has ample space, especially if they need an aide to assist them. The doorway should be at least 34 inches wide, and the room should be spacious enough to accommodate a wheelchair user.
4. Make Your Shower and/or Tub Comfortable and Safe
Install a curbless shower and/or an ADA-compliant walk-in bathtub. Since both units have no ledge to step over, entry and exit won’t be an issue for aging people and folks with limited mobility.
Aside from grab bars, get nonslip bathroom flooring for your tub and shower area to reduce the risk of accidents. For an easier bathing experience, place a rolling or fixed shower seat near the wall adjacent to the controls and get a handheld showerhead.
If you want to learn more about how you can make your home bathroom ADA-compliant, get in touch with a reputable bathroom remodeling company. For professional installation of safe and ADA-accessible walk-in tubs, showers, and other bathroom fixtures, look no further than Bath Innovations of Alabama. Contact us today to get a free quote!
