10 Things You Need To Know about walk in tubs

Bathroom Remodels

Bathe Safe Walk In Bathtubs is now offering full bathroom remodels.  Whether you want a walk in bathtub or barrier free shower, or just want a great looking bathroom, Bathe Safe Walk In Bathtubs does it all.  We can now provide a full gut for your bathroom and offer everything from tiling, to electrical and plumbing, to installation of vanity, toilets and showers or tubs.

We can widen all your doors to make your home fully ada compliant while also providing you with a ramp into the home, ada compliant vanity, ada compliant toilet, ada compliant walk in bathtub or barrier free shower, and ada compliant grab bars.  We want you to feel safe in your home and remain independent for life!

Call us today for a free in home estimate and let us provide you with a beautiful and safe home and bathroom

631-961-8827

516-342-4595

888-675-6516

Call Today!

Bathe Safe is proud to be at the Polar Bear event in Long Beach New York.  We hope everyone is staying warm and has a successful jump into the ocean today!  Remember to get warm after going in and good luck!  Have a great sunday and stay safe and smart during the superbowl 🙂

Preventing Falls in the Elderly

Quick Facts…

• The risk of falling increases with age and is greater for women than for men.
• Two-thirds of those who experience a fall will fall again within six months.
• A decrease in bone density contributes to falls and resultant injuries.
• Failure to exercise regularly results in poor muscle tone, decreased strength, and loss of bone mass and flexibility.
• At least one-third of all falls in the elderly involve environmental hazards in the home.

Causes and Prevention

The causes of falls are known as risk factors. Although no single risk factor causes all falls, the greater the number of risk factors to which an individual is exposed, the greater the probability of a fall and the more likely the results of the fall will threaten the person’s independence.

Many of these risk factors are preventable. As obvious as it may sound, a lack of knowledge about risk factors and how to prevent them contributes to many falls. Some people believe that falls are a normal part of aging, and as such are not preventable. Lack of knowledge leads to lack of preventive action, resulting in falls.

Prevention Tips

It is useful to conduct a walk-through of your home to identify possible problems that may lead to falling. A home visit by an interior designer or occupational therapist might also be useful in that they are trained to identify risk factors and recommend appropriate actions.

Outdoors

• Repair cracks and abrupt edges of sidewalks and driveways.
• Install handrails on stairs and steps.
• Remove high doorway thresholds Trim shrubbery along the pathway to the home.
• Keep walk areas clear of clutter, rocks and tools.
• Keep walk areas clear of snow and ice.
• Install adequate lighting by doorways and along walkways leading to doors.

All Living Spaces

• Use a change in color to denote changes in surface types or levels.
• Secure rugs with nonskid tape as well as carpet edges.
• Avoid throw rugs.
• Remove oversized furniture and objects.
• Have at least one phone extension in each level of the home and post. emergency numbers at each phone.
• Add electrical outlets.
• Reduce clutter.
• Check lighting for adequate illumination and glare control.
• Maintain nightlights or motion-sensitive lighting throughout home.
• Use contrast in paint, furniture and carpet colors.
• Install electronic emergency response system if needed.

Bathrooms

• Install grab bars on walls around the tub and beside the toilet, strong enough to hold your weight.
• Install a Walk In Bathtub or Barrier Free Shower
• Widen doorway entrance into bathroom
• Add nonskid mats or appliques to bathtubs.
• Mount liquid soap dispenser on the bathtub-wall.
• Install a portable, hand-held shower head.
• Add a padded bath or shower seat.
• Install a raised toilet seat if needed.
• Use nonskid mats or carpet on floor surfaces that may get wet.

Kitchen

• Keep commonly used items within easy reach.
• Use a sturdy step stool when you need something from a high shelf.
• Make sure appliance cords are out of the way.
• Avoid using floor polish or wax in order to reduce slick surfaces.

Living, Dining and Family Rooms

• Keep electrical and telephone cords out of the way.
• Arrange furniture so that you can easily move around it (especially low coffee tables).
• Make sure chairs and couches are easy to get in and out of.
• Remove caster wheels from furniture.
• Use television remote control and cordless phone.

Bedroom

• Put in a bedside light with a switch that is easy to turn on and off (or a touch lamp).
• Have a nightlight.
• Locate telephone within reach of bed.
• Adjust height of bed to make it easy to get in and out of.
• Have a firm chair, with arms, to sit and dress.

Stairways, Hallways and Pathways

• Keep free of clutter
• Make sure carpet is secured and get rid of throw rugs.
• Install tightly fastened hand rails running the entire length and along both sides of stairs.
• Handrails should be 34 inches high and have a diameter of about 1.5 inches.
• Apply brightly colored tape to the face of the steps to make them more visible.
• Optimal stair dimensions are 7.2 inch riser heights with either an 11 or 12 inch tread width.
• Have adequate lighting in stairways, hallways and pathways, with light switches placed at each end.

Essential Features of a Physical Exam from Your Doctor:

• Vital Signs
• Mental Status Testing
• Cardiac
• Musculoskeletal
• Neurologic
• Proprioception
• Vision
• Hearing
• Gait and balance testing

Statistics

• The risk of falling increases with age and is greater for women than men.
• Annually, falls are reported by one-third of all people 65 and older.
• Two-thirds of those who fall will fall again within six months.
• Falls are the leading cause of death from injury among people 65 or over.
• Approximately 9,500 deaths in older Americans are associated with falls each year. The elderly account for seventy-five percent of deaths from falls.
• More than half of all fatal falls involve people 75 or over, only 4 percent of the total population.
• Among people 65 to 69, one out of every 200 falls results in a hip fracture, and among those 85 or over, one fall in 10 results in a hip fracture.
• One-fourth of those who fracture a hip die within six months of the injury.
• The most profound effect of falling is the loss of independent functioning. Twenty-five percent of those who fracture a hip require life-long nursing care. About 50 percent of the elderly who sustain a fall-related injury will be discharged to a nursing home rather than return home.
• Most falls do not result in serious injury. However, there is often a psychological impact. Approximately 25 percent of community-dwelling people 75 or over unnecessarily restrict their activities because of fear of falling.
• The majority of the lifetime cost of injury for people 65 or over can be attributed to falls.

Web Sites

• Administration on Aging: www.aoa.dhhs.gov
• Aging Network Services: www.agingnets.com
• American Academy of Family Physicians: www.aafp.org
• American Association of Retired Persons: www.aarp.org
• Andrus Gerontology Center: www.usc.edu/dept/gero
• Elderweb: www.elderweb.com
• Home Modification Resource Center: www.homemods.org
• Mayo Clinic: www.mayoclinic.com
• National Council on Aging: www.ncoa.org
• National Institute on Aging: www.nih.gov/nia
• National Osteoporosis Foundation: www.nof.org
• National Safety Council: www.nsc.org
• Senior Alternatives: www.senioralternatives.org
• Senior Friendly: www.senioralternatives.org
• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: www.cpsc.gov

Most information gotten from http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/consumer/10242.html

Falls in Nursing Homes

Falls among nursing home residents occur frequently and repeatedly.  About 1,800 older adults living in nursing homes die each year from fall-related injuries and those who survive falls frequently sustain hip fractures and head injuries that result in permanent disability and reduced quality of life.

How big is the problem?

• In 2003, 1.5 million people 65 and older lived in nursing homes.  If current rates continue, by 2030 this number will rise to about 3 million.
• About 5% of adults 65 and older live in nursing homes, but nursing home residents account for about 20% of deaths from falls in this age group.
• Between half and three-quarters of nursing home residents fall each year.  That’s twice the rate of falls for older adults living in the community.
• Patients often fall more than once. The average is 2.6 falls per person per year.

How serious are these falls?

• About 1,800 people living in nursing homes die each year from falls.
• Falls result in disability, functional decline and reduced quality of life. Fear of falling can cause further loss of function, depression, feelings of helplessness, and social isolation.

Information taken from http://www.cdc.gov/HomeandRecreationalSafety/Falls/nursing.html

Are Nursing Homes Safer Than Aging In Place?

This question is answered by the opinion of Bathe Safe Walk In Bathtubs based on its knowledge of the industry and the facts above.  Aging in place, when using the safety features such as a walk in bathtub or a roll in shower, safety grab bars through out the house, ada compliant toilet, widened doors to allow for easy pass through with wheelchair or other aids, and other easy safety features can be much safer than a nursing home.  Your loved ones usually know their homes better and know of any possible obstacles.  People who age in place usually have family or friends near by that will stop in and check on them.. The people who age in place are also usually happier and enjoy their independence.

Elderly Falls and Injuries

Each year, one in every three adults age 65 and older falls. Falls can cause moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fractures and head traumas, and can increase the risk of early death. Fortunately, falls are a public health problem that is largely preventable.

• In 2010, 2.3 million nonfatal fall injuries among older adults were treated in emergency departments and more than 662,000 of these patients were hospitalized.
• In 2010, the direct medical costs of falls, adjusted for inflation, was $30 billion.
  • Most fractures among older adults are caused by falls. The most common are fractures of the spine, hip, forearm, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm, and hand.
  • Many people who fall, even if they are not injured, develop a fear of falling. This fear may cause them to limit their activities, which leads to reduced mobility and loss of physical fitness, and in turn increases their actual risk of falling.

Fall Injuries

• People age 75 and older who fall are four to five times more likely than those age 65 to 74 to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer.
• Rates of fall-related fractures among older women are more than twice those for men.
• Over 95% of hip fractures are caused by falls.15 In 2010, there were 258,000 hip fractures and the rate for women was almost twice the rate for men.
• White women have significantly higher hip fracture rates than black women. 

How can older adults prevent falls?

Barrier Free Showers

Barrier free showers are a great alternative to a walk in bathtub for those who are wheelchair bound.  These showers are easy to get in and out of while sitting in your wheelchair or transfer chair.  No need to even step out of the wheelchair, as there is little to no threshold, and you can buy a wheelchair made to get wet.  Most of these showers are made with an ugly white pan, and made of plastic.  Bathe Safe Walk In Bathtubs offers a new product that is a special stone, man made in Pennsylvania, that is durable, looks like granite or marble, and is non porous. This special stone allows for a quick and easy one day install, with no grout problems in the future, no mold, and very easy to clean.  These showers look like 10k dollar stone showers but are much more affordable and can be done in one day!  These barrier free showers are custom made to order, so that your bathroom is one of a kind.  While doing these showers, we usually recommend making the rest of the bathroom ADA compliant, which includes a larger door way into the bathroom, a higher toilet, and an ADA vanity that makes it easy for a person in a wheelchair to get up close to the sink.  Our custom showers can be matched with a stone counter top for your vanity, to make your bathroom like elegant and safe.

Call today for a free in home appointment for a barrier free shower or a walk in bathtub! 888-675-6516

New Walk In Bathtub Choices

The Bathe Safe Walk In Bathtub company is proud to announce new types of backings on their walk in bathtubs.  Now you can have tile, or tile board(frp) backings put up to surround the tub, and both are great solutions.  Tile is perfect if you are willing to spend a little extra money and take an extra day or two on the install.  For the one day install at the lowest cost, tile board and FRP make for a great solution.

Bathe Safe Walk In Bathtubs is now proud to announce a new type of surround.  It is a special cultured marble!  The surrounds can look like anything from granite to a marble slab and best of all they have no grout or any spots where repairs would ever be needed.  They look great and are made custom to surround our Walk In Bathtubs.  They cost about what tile would cost to be installed, but they can be finished in a day allowing you to quickly get to using your brand new Walk In Bathtub.  The Walk In Bathtub with our new surround makes your bathroom look like a million dollars.

If you are not looking to do a walk in bathtub, we offer these surrounds with custom no threshold showers.  Thats right, now you can have a barrier free shower that looks like a granite or marble, with out the porousness of those stones and easy to keep clean.  These showers can be a variety of colors and setups.

Call us today for a free consultation 888-675-6516

Pros and Cons of Walk in Bathtub

Traditional bathtubs presents a risky situation for the elderly and less mobile. Walk In Bathtubs create a safer, easier way to bathe for seniors and those who are less mobile. These special tubs that have doors for easy access are perfect for your bathroom if you are looking to age in place. If you’re worried about bathroom safety, consider installing a walk-in tub during your next bathroom remodeling project.

Bathe Safe Walk-in bathtubs are installed by only highly trained walk in bathtub professionals.  Bathe Safe Walk-in Tubs can include a variety of features, including adjustable air and water  jet systems, safety grab bar, adjustable hand held shower head and built in seat height seating. Bathe Safe walk-in bathtubs offer the largest  variety of walk in bathtub models.  Also consider the size of the room where the tub will be installed.

What’s good about walk-in tubs?

If a walk-in bathtub is on your wish list, a quick review of the advantages and disadvantages is in order. The first and most obvious advantage is that a walk-in bathtub makes bathing easier and much safer. In addition to a low step in and an inward swing door, these walk in bathtubs are designed to prevent slipping: safety grab bar, seat and  anti slip flooring help you to stay safe while, entering, bathing in, and exiting the walk in tub. Installing a walk-in bath could also raise the value of your home, especially if you live in a retirement community.

What could go wrong?

There are some disadvantages to walk-in bathtubs. First, you must enter the walk in bathtub and shut the door before turning on the water. This is usually ok, just be sure to warm up the water before filling the tub, to insure the right temperature while bathing.  Waiting for the bath to drain before you exit is another factor to consider. Although Bathe safe walk-in bathtub uses a  fast-filling faucets and fast-moving drains.

Improve Bathroom Safety

Safety in the bathroom is an issue that effects everyone especially those who are getting older or those who have lost some mobility. Bathroom accidents such as slips and falls can be devastating and cause irreversible damage to the body and can create the fear of future bathing habits. This is why those who wish to remain as independent as possible in their own homes as they go through the aging process need to take steps to improve the safety features found in their bathrooms.