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Mar 01, 2025

Designing an Accessible Bathroom for Aging Loved Ones

Decrease the chance of home injuries with a bathroom remodel for seniors. Here, experts share how to get started. For some, the bathroom represents a calming and private escape. From grooming rituals

Decrease the chance of home injuries with a bathroom remodel for seniors. Here, experts share how to get started.

For some, the bathroom represents a calming and private escape. From grooming rituals like shaving to self-care activities like soaking in a bubble bath, the bathroom can represent precious alone time. But problems with balance and mobility can quickly turn this haven into a hazard.

“Bathrooms are particularly challenging from a safety and comfort perspective,” says Jamie Gold, a certified aging in place specialist and wellness design consultant in San Diego. “Older adults are most at risk of a slip and fall, and most often, seriously harmed by these accidents. The combination of brittle bones, poor balance and wet, brittle floor tile can be literally deadly.”

So, what can you do when a loved one’s age or declining health raises their risk of bathroom injuries? Below, Gold and several health experts offer tips and advice for a bathroom remodel for seniors.

When creating an accessible bathroom for older adults, it’s important to have their particular needs and abilities in mind. “Each person is going to have unique needs based on their endurance, strength, range of motion and the type of mobility aid they are using,” notes Tamzyn Mather, an occupational therapist at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Illinois.

Here, tips to create an accessible bathroom for seniors of varying physical and cognitive abilities.

“ADA guidelines are a good rule of thumb, but it’s more important to account for the individual’s abilities, height and even body size when considering home bathroom accessibility,” says Mather. ADA basics include:

Kathrina Prostka and Barbara Peraino, both wheelchair seating and positioning specialists at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, suggest the following for making a bathroom wheelchair-accessible:

Before doing a complete bathroom overhaul, here are a few things to consider:

It’s not possible to predict what the future holds for your aging loved one’s mobility. What caregivers can assume, however, is that seniors who want to age in place should prepare for additional safety and accessibility needs as they age. In the long-run, putting in the effort to create a safer, more accessible bathroom for them will be well worth the effort.

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