Why Older Adults need Improved Shower and Bathtub Safety
By Sharon O’Brien

Many seniors use unsafe bathroom features, even with safety features available.

Shower and bathtub safety is a concern for older adults. One-third of people age 60 and older have difficulty getting in or out of a bathtub or shower, even with bathtub safety equipment installed.

University of Michigan Health Systems conducted a study of participants demonstrating how they normally climb in or out of a bathtub or shower in their homes. The videos showed whether participants used grab bars, towel bars, shower curtains, glass doors, tub seats and other parts of the bathtub to help themselves get in or out.

Researchers also evaluated the videotapes to determine the senior’s fluidity of movement, and whether they had difficulty negotiating their bathtub and shower environments.

All of the study participants were residents of senior housing facilities and had no cognitive impairments. Yet one-third of the participants “plopped” onto the bathtub seat, or hit the side of the bathtub or shower wall with their legs.

“We found that there are a lot of independently bathing older adults who have trouble or are unsafe when getting in and out of the tub or shower,” said Susan L. Murphy an occupational therapist and University of Michigan research assistant professor.

“For older adults losing the ability to bathe is associated with having falls, fracturing bones and even being admitted to a nursing home. It is important that we take steps to help prevent bathing disability before it occurs.”

Key Bathtub and Shower Safety Areas

According to researchers, common safety issues include:

•Using a sliding glass shower door for stability or balance. This problem was observed in 75 percent of the older adults who use shower door glass enclosures

“This is extremely dangerous because shower doors were not designed to support a person’s weight.” Murphy said. This problem could be easily remedied by educating older adults not to use the door as a support, or possibly replacing it with a shower curtain, which was used only rarely by participants.

•Using unsafe shower and bathtub features. While the majority of study participants used bathtub safety equipment like grab bars when they were available, many used unsafe features in addition to the safe ones.

For example, 70 percent used unsafe shower features and 19 percent used unsafe bathtub features, including tub seats and even using towel bars as support. One study participant used a lawn chair as a tub seat, which researchers found especially dangerous because of the curved tub floor.

How Can Bathtub and Shower Safety Be Improved?

Some bathtub and shower safety issues are easy to fix, according to researchers, by replacing shower doors with shower curtains and providing proper instruction about the built-in bathroom safety features (like grab bars designed for weight bearing) to residents of senior housing facilities. The study researchers also recommended putting more attention toward improving bathroom design, and educating older adults about bathtub and shower safety.

“We think the results from this study demonstrate the need for healthcare professionals to become involved in helping to prevent bathing disability, instead of just treating people in the hospital after they have had a fall in the bathroom.” Murphy says.

While bathrooms in senior housing facilities are designed to be safe, we have found that older adults often do not know the difference between a grab bar and a towel bar. They also have unsafe strategies of getting into and out of their bathtub or shower.

Occupational therapists often see older adults for bathing problems and would be ideal to intervene with older adults before they lose their ability to bathe.