Minimizing Fall Risk, Fostering Ease of Mobility

By Jill Schroeder & Chris Palkowitsch

The remote control for a garage door is usually clipped to a car’s visor so it’s easily accessible.  Sunglasses are sometimes stored there, too.  Chapstick, tissues and many other needed items are conventionally stored in the console so there is no need to search around for things (most of the time).  This is the same idea for prepping a daily routine in and about a client’s house and designing it to help make things, well, convenient.

An obvious starting point is within the bathroom.  Medications can have their own dedicated cabinet – and one that is not directly over a sink.  A shallow wall-hung cabinet could be used specifically for medications or daily toiletries.  A linen cabinet, if used for the storage of medications could have additional lighting added to the underside of the shelving so labels can be read easily when the cabinet door is opened.

If a client is considering a full bathroom renovation, any lower cabinetry should have either drawers or pull-out shelving with soft closing hardware.  A small, shallow cabinet just over the toilet could hold additional toileting supplies, too.

For a client to conveniently use a mobility device, consider a vanity unit which allows full clearance (36 inches wide) below the sink.  Install a faucet that is at least 8 inches from the bottom of the spout to the drain.  It should have easy to use blade-style handles or motion controls.

Just outside the shower, install a fold down shower seat to the wall that can be used to sit down while drying off or undressing just before showering, as well as a heat lamp.  Within the shower’s “wet zone,” install a shower seat, as well as grab bar accessories within reach of the shower controls.  If the shower operates with a fixed head, install a handheld showerhead so hard to reach areas can be accessed easier.  Some grab bars also have an integrated shelf or a towel/washcloth hook.  A circular grab bar positioned around the shower controls is a good idea, too, for extra stability when controlling the flow and temperature.  The handheld shower should be designed with an arthritic grip, so it is easier to hold.

Unsure how many grab bars to use or where to install them?  The answer begins with risk mitigation.

Risk mitigation (or “fall-risk”) is anticipating areas of possible injury or falls and preparing, or, changing the environment to prevent this from happening.

Renovations for fall-risk hazards empower a client to feel more secure and safe in a wet zone.  Not only are there grab bars that double as towel bars, consider fold down grab bars that flank the toilet to further help with stability.  Install a double toilet paper dispenser to reduce the need to replace toilet paper; make sure it is either partially recessed (to reduce the potential for skin tears) or one that has a grab bar along the top.  Vanity units that have a rear drain with grab bars along the front are also a great solution to allow maximum accessibility while providing areas to hold on to if a client loses balance.  A higher toilet is also a good idea for balance and stability if considering a replacement.  Even better, a bidet.  It cleans the undercarriage without requiring hand and torso flexibility.  The addition of a small amber-colored LED light directly over the toilet will help illuminate where the toilet is in the middle of the night.

Anticipating areas for potential falls or trip hazards is important to promote independence in aging.  Most homes have fiberglass or solid surface shower enclosures.  If a client has one, consider replacing the shower with a new enclosure; select a “zero threshold” (no curb along the front) model, with a trench drain along the back.  A small rubber gasket along that front threshold will help contain water from spilling out into the bathroom. That gasket will easily collapse if rolled or stepped on, reducing the risk of tripping.  The addition of a light within the shower can help with seeing things clearly while showering, too.

As for kitchen updates or modifications, having controls on the front of the stove are much more convenient than having to reach across the hot stovetop to turn a burner off.  A lowered microwave either within the lower cabinetry (drawer-style) or one that sits right on the top of the counter will be easier to use and reduces the risk of spilling a hot dish.

Upper cabinetry can be lowered so the underside of the cabinets is between 16-18 inches above the countertop; the distance for reaching and accessing things on the shelving will be less of a strain.  Think about how the kitchen is used today and what essential small appliances are used every day.

All of these modifications can certainly ease the “growing pains” of lessened mobility while aging.

Jill Schroeder is a senior planner for specialty housing and aging and a freelance writer.
Chris Palkowitsch is an architect at BKV Group.