Bathroom remodels are an excellent long-term investment in a home, no matter your age. You spend a lot of time in your bathroom, so it should be a place you enjoy and feel comfortable in. If you’re a senior or find yourself designing a bathroom for an elderly loved one, you should be mindful of your bathroom renovation ideas. Aside from aesthetics, it would help if you also thought about practicality and functionality for the future. Here are four senior-friendly bathroom renovation ideas.
1. Add Non-Slip Floors
Redoing the floors in a bathroom can make a significant difference in its overall look. Outdated floors can drag down the look of any room, even if you’ve upgraded the other features. An easy and practical senior-friendly bathroom feature worth installing is a non-slip floor.
Traditional bathroom tiles can become slippery when wet and pose a slip and fall hazard for seniors. However, non-slip flooring technology has come a long way, and you’re no longer limited to a few options that favor function over style. Now, you have hundreds of non-slip options to choose from, and they look just as chic as traditional floors.
2. Install a Walk-In Shower or Wet Room
Tub showers are still one of the most popular choices for showers because of their practicality and space-saving features. However, a traditional tub shower may not be friendly for seniors in the long term. Instead, consider upgrading to a walk-in shower or wet room.
Not only are these showers stylish, but they’re practical as well. Seniors won’t have to worry about access no matter their future mobility needs. Walk-in showers and wet rooms have endless design options, so they can fit into almost any home and work with any style preference.
3. Upgrade the Lighting
Bathroom lighting is one of the most important but often overlooked features in the design process. Chances are that you don’t spend much time thinking about the lighting scheme in a bathroom — until you come across one poorly lit.
Add lighting to your bathroom renovation ideas list and get an expert to help ensure that the bathroom is well-lit for safety. Bonus, it also can create a relaxing environment. Upgrade to energy-efficient light bulbs so they won’t have to be changed as often, which can be a challenge for some seniors. You can even upgrade to a smart system with voice-activated lights to make it easier for seniors to navigate in the dark.
4. Add Heated Floors
Heated floors offer the ultimate luxury bathroom experience. However, no one likes stepping onto cold tile when they enter the bathroom, especially at night. And elderly individuals may be more sensitive to cold surfaces due to less effective circulation that can happen with age.
In addition, some seniors may experience difficulty regulating their body temperature, so having the option to turn the heated floors on and off can be a big help. Heated floors keep bathroom flooring comfortable at all times of day in all four seasons.
Trust Friel Kitchen & Bath Design with Your Bathroom Renovation Ideas
Friel Kitchen & Bath Design has decades of experience and is ready to create your dream, senior-friendly bathroom. We’re more than just contractors. We use our expertise to guide you through the project and put your mind at ease. Whether you’re looking to make minor upgrades or ready to take on a complete gut job, we’ve got you covered. Give us a call today to get started.
