Practical Tips for Creating a Safe and Accessible Bathroom
When you are designing an accessible bathroom, it must comply with certain codes and meet certain requirements. You will need to thoughtfully plan the layout, so that the space has room for a wheelchair to turn around, the door is wide enough for easy entry, and the fixtures are positioned at accessible heights. The flooring should be comfortable and non-slip, and there should be elements like shower seats, grab rails, and assistive technology to make the bathroom easier to use. While an accessible bathroom must meet these standards, that doesn’t mean that it has to look like a standard, boring bathroom. The truth is that an accessible bathroom can be customised to suit individual preferences as well as meeting mobility requirements.
Personalised Accessible Bathroom Design
While you are crafting a space designed to accommodate mobility challenges, you also have the opportunity to make it a bespoke room that aligns with your unique preferences. The bathroom should be comfortable, safe, and barrier-free, and it should also meet the unique needs of your family members. For instance, whether you prefer bathtubs or showers, there are accessible, functional, and comfortable options available.
- Walk-in Baths: A walk-in bath has a watertight door, slip-resistant surfaces, and comfortable seating. Watertight baths are easy to enter and exit, and offer safe and comfortable bathing for people with limited mobility.
- Wheelchair-accessible Showers: A barrier-free shower area with non-slip tiles provides a safe and seamless shower for wheelchair users. It can be customised with features like a wall-mounted shower seat, grab bars, and an adjustable showerhead.
Tailored Mobility-Friendly Bathroom Solutions
How else will you customise your bathroom? Leave sufficient open floor space for comfortable navigation, and place fixtures strategically, in close enough proximity to one another to make it easy to navigate between them. Think about accessibility and comfort in every element of your bathroom.
- The sink, toilet, and fixture should be ergonomic. Choose user-friendly features that will work for the needs of the people who will be using your bathroom, whether they have disabilities, mobility challenges, or other impairments.
- Install comfort-height toilets. These have a higher seating position, which makes it easier for those with mobility issues to sit down and stand up without issue.
- Choose taps that are easy to use. Lever-handled taps are easier for people with dexterity issues or reduced hand strength to use. You can also choose touchless faucets, which are even more convenient.
- Make sure the bathroom has safety features strategically placed. Grab bars and rails should be in areas like showers, bathtubs, and beside the toilet, to offer support when needed. Non-slip flooring and mats in the shower, bath, and on the floor can prevent falls.
- Keep the bathroom well lit. Abundant lighting, including ambient and task lighting, can make a bathroom safer as well as allowing you to adjust it to your preference. Motion-sensor lights are useful for lighting the way, especially at night, when you don’t want to have to search for the light switch.
Bathroom Adaptations for Individual Needs
Mobility and safety are not the only things to consider when you are designing your bathroom. Your colour scheme and design style can be a reflection of your personal preferences. Traditional, boho, modern, and industrial style bathrooms, in a wide range of colour palettes, can all work well with accessible layouts. Make sure you incorporate easy to reach storage, and consider a roll-under sink, rather than a vanity, for convenience. Colour can be used to make a bathroom more accessible, particularly when you use high contrast colours and avoid high-gloss finishes, to make it easier for those with vision impairments to distinguish between different parts of the space.
Trust Bathing Mobility Advisory Service for Custom Accessibility Features for Bathrooms
Accessibility is important for your bathroom, but it doesn’t mean your bathroom has to be boring. At Bathing Mobility Advisory Service, we offer a wide range of options available to help you create an accessible bathroom with the styles, colours, and finishes you want, tailored to meet your needs and suit your aesthetic sensibilities. We are specialists in bathroom design and installation, and our family business in Edinburgh, BMAS still operates from the family values and service on which our company was built. Our bathrooms are not only practical, but also beautiful, and our team is committed to helping people bathe safely and independently in their homes. We will work with you to create a bathroom design that suits you, and most bathrooms are completed within a working week. From design to completion, BMAS is with you every step of the way, and we will only sign off on a project when both you and the installation manager are pleased with the results. We hold ourselves to a high standard, and are proud of the work we do, providing quality workmanship backed by dedicated service . Visit one of our showrooms to learn more, or contact us for a free home visit and no-obligation quote.