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Photo By Maira Kouvara |
By Andrea Tannenbaum, AdaptMy.com
A nice warm bath or shower can offer relief to people who have arthritis and other muscular or joint ailments. A long soak can be just what the doctor ordered. But many people are concerned about slipping and falling in the tub. Unlike a child’s fear about the “monster in the drain”, the “slip and fall” monster is very real.
According to the National Safety Council, more than 400 people drown in bath tubs each year. That horrifying statistic does not include all the injuries, big and small, that occur annually due to falls in the tub. These falls are most likely to occur while entering or leaving the tub as well as when shifting between a standing and seated position.
Don’t let the “slip and fall” monster prevent you from enjoying the benefits of a bath. Instead, arm yourself to defeat this monster by following some commonsense practices and adding a few safety items to your bath area. These safety precautions are particularly important if you are weak or have balance issues.
If you can stand, but need some support to get into or out of the tub, being able to hold onto something secure might be the solution:
- A Bath Tub Rail provides something to hold onto as you enter or leave the tub. There are many styles, all fitting over the tub edge without doing any damage to the fixture. Make sure to select the right height and grip style to suit your needs.
- Grab Bars of varying lengths, textures and styles can be mounted on the wall in strategic locations where they can provide support. Grab bars serve two purposes.
- The first is as a balance aid, something to hold onto that is stable and gives you a sense of security.
- The second and more important purpose is as a tool to support you if you should begin to fall.
Please do not be tempted to use a towel bar as a grab bar substitute. Towel bars are not designed to hold the weight of a person if they begin to fall. During a fall, with help of gravity, the actual force pulling on the bar can be much more that your weight. Because of this, it is important to follow all precautions regarding appropriate wall preparation when installing a grab bar. Find a professional to install the grab bar – for your own safety!