Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2018 - 30

Universal Design

Better
Bathrooms

BY LOUIE DELAWARE, MBA,
BSME, CLIPP - The Living In
Place Institute

How to promote safety and
well-being in this often
precarious room
ACCORDING TO THE U.S. CENTER FOR DISEASE

CONTROL AND PREVENTION, bathrooms are the
most dangerous rooms in a home. They tell us
that of the 235,000 people who go to an emergency room every year because of an injury in the
bathroom, more than 80 percent of those visits are
from slips and falls.
What are some of the causes? Wet and slippery floors, poor lighting, difficulty stepping in
or out of a tub or shower, narrow doors and improper use of color contrast. Add in that although
about 65 percent of us wear glasses to see well, we
take them off while bathing! Any of these factors
can lead to a fall for anyone at any age, but falls
for the elderly are much more dangerous because
their bones are more brittle and recuperation can
be much longer.
Industry professionals are responsible for understanding how to use design and products to
lessen the chance of a fall, which can help our
clients maintain their independence and dignity
in their home.

ENSURING BATHROOM SAFETY

"When we help clients with physical challenges
remodel their bathroom, we always ask the client's
occupational or physical therapist what they suggest, based on the client's needs, and then together
we recommend a variety of safety features and
products,"said Julie Schuster,CLIPP,and owner of
New York City-based Julie Schuster Design Studio, who explained that grab bars are the most important item they want to discuss."As a designer, I
always want to make the environment aesthetically
pleasing, and we make a number of suggestions.
These include replacing all standard towel bars
with grab bar-rated towel bars and using curbless
showers, water controls near the shower entrance
and adjustable-height showerheads mounted on a
vertical grab bar for additional support."
Some clients may have physical challenges in
the bathroom in the future, so planning ahead
always make sense. Some of those challenges often
impact having enough space in which to maneuver or even stepping into a tub or shower.

"We all know that most bathrooms are not
friendly places for accessibility because they are
typically small and have narrow doors," said Erin
Ware, CKD, CLIPP, of Wildwood Cabinetry and
Design in Albuquerque, N.M."We often suggest
expanding the size of the bathroom, which not
only helps the current clients but may help in the
future if two people are in there at the same time,
such as a caregiver or family member. Another
feature we always recommend is to change the
old-fashioned, step-in shower entry to a modern
no-step or curbless entry system."
HELP, I'VE FALLEN

We have all seen the television ads. If a person falls
in a bathroom, they may fall against the door and
become trapped because the door typically swings
inward. To solve this issue, all doors should either
swing away from all rooms or should be changed
to sliding (barn) or pocket doors.
Ideas like this are vital to helping someone
after they fall, but what about the cause of a fall?
Sometimes the cause is related to a medical condition not known or understood by the designer.
Working with a team that includes a medical
professional is often necessary to provide the
best solutions.
"We are experiencing more clients who have
peripheral neuropathy due to diabetes or other
medical causes,"said Schuster."This causes weakness, tingling or loss of feeling in their hands and
feet, which is especially problematic if someone
steps on a cool tile floor, and the nerves on their
feet go into overdrive and they slip. We now suggest heated flooring in every bathroom to help
minimize that problem. It also helps dry the floor
faster, and everyone loves that idea. Lastly, we
never suggest walk-in bathtubs without a specific
medical recommendation. These are prescribed
medical equipment."
LIGHTING & CONTRAST

Ware says one of the more interesting facets of her
certification training was about lighting and how
not only is safety improved with better lighting,
but a person's mood and activity level are directly
affected by it. When she learned that a person
over the age of 60 needs about three times more
lighting than when they were 20, she realized she
needed a lighting specialist as part of her team
who can work with a medical professional.

"We will specify changing all lights to highintensity LED lights controlled by automatic
sensors and dimmers," said Ware, who also recommends installing nightlights, especially in the
bedroom and bathroom."We even suggest underbed lighting (activated by motion) that can also
turn on bathroom lights at a lower intensity to
help guide them and turn off automatically after
a pre-set time."
She and her team often install LED flashlights
that plug into a wall outlet and automatically turn
on if the power goes out. They always install a
GFCI electrical outlet adjacent to the toilet to
plug in a nightlight and for a future heated or full
bidet toilet seat.
"We also install a horizontal, high-contrast color stripe of tiles, especially in the shower, at about
60 inches above the floor," added Ware. "This is a
distinctive feature that everyone loves, but we have
learned how that simple feature can help maintain
balance and spatial orientation."
A TOUCHY SUBJECT

A difficult topic for both clients and designers is
proper toilet hygiene. It may be more appropriate
for a medical professional to discuss toilet habits
with a client. The educated professional understands the importance of convenience for the client, as well as medical benefits, such as reduction
of unitary tract infections.
"Most people are not comfortable having a
family member help them with toileting activities
or even discussing the topic," said Mike Harrigan, CLIPP, director of sales, Midwest region, for
TOTO USA."Often,personal hygiene is the cause
of moving into assisted living or hiring professional
caregivers. Installing an electronic bidet seat now
may improve the home value and save on care and
other medical expenses,but more importantly it allows a person to continue living at home with their
family or even live alone without embarrassment."
Just as every bathroom project is unique, every client has different needs and desires as well.
Our job is to make every home more accessible,
comfortable and safe. Learning the multitude
of designs and products you should specify and
recommend is vital to your client's well-being and
to your business. Join the rapidly growing national
movement toward accessibility and safety in all
homes. Talk to your peers, share ideas, listen to
webinars and presentations, and take a class to
become certified in this topic of accessibility, comfort and safety. Give your clients the gift of your
experience, knowledge and desire to help them
live with independence and dignity.


Kitchen & Bath Business / OCTOBER 2018 / KBBONLINE.COM / The official publication of KBIS (KBIS.com)

http://www.KBBONLINE.COM http://www.KBIS.com

Kitchen & Bath Business - October 2018

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