Bath Safety

A term like bath safety is probably enough to make you laugh, isn't it? I know it was for me. That is, until disaster struck. You see, I am in good health for a man of 65, or was in good health until recently, and hardly noticed my reflexes slowing, to say nothing of the increasing brittleness in my bones. With retirement nearing, who thinks of bath safety, to say nothing of more advanced precautions like bathroom safety bars. I didn't even have no slip decals on the floor until I fell. Like many older Americans, bath safety didn't even cross my mind until it was too late.

... A few simply bath safety precautions ...

I am pleased to say that I am well on my way to making a full recovery now, after many months of convalescence, but I am writing this article in the hopes that you won't have to go through the same suffering and inconvenience of poor health that I did. A few simply bath safety precautions, as well as some simple bathroom safety equipment can go a long way towards preventing a dangerous fall.

The most important bath safety tip is to make sure that you have the no slip decals on the bottom of the bath. These will go a long way towards preventing you from falling in the bath and hurting yourself. If you have these stuck all over the bottom of your bath tub, it will not be any more slippery than any other floor.

... make sure that there is a bath mat right outside of your shower ...

Most bath safety mishaps, however, happen not when in the bath, but when getting in and out. Always be sure that the shower curtain is inside the bath to protect the floor from water which can make it slippery. Also, make sure that there is a bath mat right outside of your shower that you can step directly on to, in case the floor itself does get slippery. This will also have the added benefit of helping to keep your floor dry.

Shower safety bars can also be a great bath safety aid. These are bars mounted along the sides of your bath tub which you can hold on to when climbing in and out of your bath tub. If you do slip in the tub, you can also quickly grab hold of these bars, preventing a fall. Just these few simple bath safety steps can tremendously decrease your chances of a serious mishap.

This article was written by Jim Jacobson. He has written a number of articles such as this one on bath safety that serve as a timely reminder that in our advancing years we should be taking a little extra care when performing the simplest of tasks.