One of the concerns of anyone looking after the elderly or people with reduced mobility on a day-to-day basis is undoubtedly the domestic environment.
A safe and comfortable home improves their well-being and is ensured by arranging the spaces to be free of barriers and obstacles and making them functional and secure.
In practical terms, what is needed to create a safe home that meets the specific needs of the elderly or people with reduced mobility is: a bedroom with a bed frame and mattress suited to the user, a living-room with a chair that offers appropriate postural support and a bathroom that is as functional and safe as possible.
How do you make a bathroom safe?
It is best to contact a professional if the bathroom requires structural alterations due to its size or if positioning of the sanitary facilities does not leave room for a wheelchair to pass. The professional used should be capable of designing the bathroom to meet specific regulations and ergonomic principles.
If only minor alterations in terms of complexity and interference are sufficient, it is well to know precisely which aids can be used. They are described in detail and by areas of use below.
The entire bathroom
The first step in making sure the various areas of a bathroom are safe is to imagine how someone moves around it and the use made of the washbasin, the lavatory, the bidet, the shower cubicle or the bathtub. Supports must be provided in all areas and phases of use, whether these are handles or simple grips, to provide our loved ones with further support. In addition to the classic safety handles and grips, the Mopedia by Moretti SpA range also offers the Holdy grip. This is a suction handle that guarantees a secure support on smooth surfaces without the need to drill any holes.
The shower cubicle and the bathtub
Reduced mobility can make it difficult to use a standard shower cubicle or bathtub. Safety when entering, using and leaving them can be a particularly delicate issue, both due to slipperiness of the tiles, the shower tray or the bathtub when wet and to the movements it is necessary to make during the various phases.
Access to the bathtub can be assisted with a transfer seat. This should be wide enough to accompany the user as they get in. Another type of bathtub seat available in the Onda range of the Mopedia by Moretti SpA brand is the double seat.
The higher seat assists the user in getting into the bathtub, as it is placed at the same height as the external sides of the tub.
Once the user is correctly seated in the bathtub, they can support themselves with a special handle to get up, tip up the higher seat and use the lower seat to wash themselves more easily.
There are also various types of rotating seats, which provide further assistance in getting in or out of the tub or when washing oneself with the assistance of a carer or a relative.
Various solutions are also available for the Onda shower range, such as the chair and the seat, with or without rotation, armrests and backrests.
The lavatory and the bidet
Autonomous and safe access to sanitary facilities is essential to ensuring our loved ones maintain their independence for as long as possible. In certain cases, all that is needed is a lavatory or bidet booster seat, with or without plastic armrests or in a more innovative and special material like E.V.A.
In others, aluminium or steel support structures are necessary, or stabilising booster seats for lavatories.
The Mopedia range includes multi-purpose solutions that serve as lavatory supports or booster seats, commode seats and shower seats.
Do you want to know more about the Mopedia by Moretti SpA solutions? Consult our catalogue or ask at your usual orthopaedics and healthcare products store.
