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I did not want to take away from the post on our loss of Mark C
Ditch-Runner
Member Posts: 25,230 ✭✭✭✭
I told my wife ans I talk to her about some things from the forum and Mark was one I had shaed in th epast and updated on what happened
she reminded me of this
about 4 yrs ago we added a few rooms to our house , one was another bath room to , my wife insisted it have just a walk in shower .
she had the same thoughts about falling and safety when we get a bit older ( well now even ) getting in and out of a tub is not for the old and easer to get hurt falling .
we took care of her mom before she passed on and my wife remember the struggle giving her mom a bath/ shower in our bath tub getting her in and out and how difficult it was to have her step in or out ,
Comments
Exactly what happened to Mom. She fell in the shower. I had even installed the grip strips so her footing was more solid. However it does not take into account a mini stroke that passes one out. She had a huge bruise on the rt side of her head. Probably worse looking with the blood thinners she takes. I had purchased a shower chair...but she didn't like to sit down. They do also make hand held shower heads. I mentioned the other day, our walk in shower has a glass door. If we stay in our home longer that is coming off and a regular shower curtain installed. Can't imagine falling thru the door. I also mentioned to my Wife if we build a new home it will be handicap made...interior wider doors , halls. Just in we have to drive a wheelchair . One never knows.
My walk-in shower also has glass doors and in the back of my mind, feel that I need to change things. This tragic event that happened to our friend Mark has really lit a fire about making things as safe as possible and not just thinking about it! Going to also find good shower floor mats to improve traction, both for inside and outside of the shower. Problem with switching from solid doors to curtains is that at the bottom water will flow\spray unto the bathroom floor with curtains.?????
Pretty sure that there are a lot of accident statistics recording a lot of shower\bath falls that have happened more often and not just rare and random events.
S.F.
how is your mom doing ? that was a terrible accident .
I hope the best for her and your family
as for us we bought a chair for my MIL for the shower it helped and took up a lot of room however made it a bit easier for my wife to help her mom , but still getting in and out was scary .
we had to put my MIL in a nursing home after about a year or so with us, but at first she could take care of her self easy . just need a little help and not be by her self . but her mom started having problems and sadly it started being around the clock to care for her and we both were working, at the time . not long after going to the nursing home she had more strokes many of them one took her sight and so many other health problems just kept piling on her body was slowly shutting down . I do miss her she was a great MIL as was my FIL
when I remodeled the original bath room , last time I took down the glass doors (about 8 yrs ago) for that reason no need to add to the danger .
the new bath room we added we put in a pre fab shower stall it has a sitting area built into it . I added a 5' long flex shower head to make it easier .
make sure to keep the bottom of the curtains inside the tub it will greatly help not getting the floor wet
we also have a mat for the bath tub to prevent slipping and put down a bath towel to step out on too .
the tyle can get slick when wet
Not a tub D\R but a walk in shower with a base of just a couple of inches. I have hit the glass doors a time or two with my elbows inadvertently and was lucky not to have shattered them. These events started my thinking about finding something to replace the glass. Anybody out there with ideas would be welcome to hear!
That would be a issue I understand now
I hope you find a inexpensive answer
When I bought this house for my father the lady who had it built was wheelchair bound. And the house was built to accommodate the handicapped. All doors are 3 ft, a ramp from the garage into the kitchen, a huge master bedroom, no outside steps and a master bathroom shower you can play basketball in. There’s three very solid grab bars in the shower and two on either side of the commode.
It served my father well and allowed him to remain in the house until his last three days when a heart attack put him in the hospital, he was 90 years old.
I've designed and installed a LOT of walk-in showers and bathrooms for folks over the years. There were a few things that I insisted on because I had an aunt slip in the shower and bleed out from a ruptured kidney. One of the things that I flat insisted on, to the point that I lost a couple of jobs because of it, was to put smaller tiles on the floor of the shower, 2x2 or smaller, so that the floor had good traction. I also insisted on putting blocking in the framing so that solid grab bars could be added later. I spent a lot of time educating clients on CoF, coefficient of friction. Big glossy/shiny looking tiles on the floor are a no no! Put a dab of water on 'em and you've turned them into the worlds hardest slip and slide.
@Brookwood , you have two routes you can go. Take the doors out and put in a curtain or put in thicker/heavier doors. I will guarantee you the curtain will be the less expensive option!
We redid two of our bathrooms last year. One has a lowered tub that is easier to step in and out of. The other in the Master Bedroom area now has a walk in shower with grab bars. A seat can be added when that is necessary. We also left room for adding stand up/grab bars near the toilet.
We figured we had better plan ahead as we intend to be here as long as possible, hopefully to the very end !
Thanks Neo for your expertise on my shower situation. The bathroom being on the main floor with a finished basement below makes getting water on the floor a factor for ceiling stains down there. Had a couple of over-run sink accidents that meant repairs. I was wondering if there are any kind of glass doors that are considered unbreakable like say a 225 pound guy falls and crashes into them??
Hmmmmm.......3\4" marine plywood....😲
Apparently I missed something; Mark died in an accident?
@Ambrose all the threads have been merged into this one: https://forums.gunbroker.com/discussion/1908384/in-remembrance-of-mark-c/p1
After I had my hip replacement surgery in late 2019.............with sciatic nerve damage...........I was given a shower bench by the VA.
I still have it and use it 'cause I can no longer balance on my affected foot/leg. Shower falls are real..........it has happened to me a few times.......lucky that I never got really hurt.