Over seventy percent of all household accidents occur in the bathroom.  However, this figure mainly pertains to the elderly.  While unfortunate, it's a simple fact of life that the older we get, the less responsive our bodies can become.  If you are elderly, or have elderly loved ones, it is important to know about all the various safety devices that can be installed in a bathroom to help prevent household accidents.

One of the most basic features is a simple grab bar.  Many folks may use shower doors or towel bars as grab bars, but these are not safe options.  Shower doors are not secure and may slide or swing away, and towel bars are not made to hold very much weight.  Relying on one of these may lead to disaster!  A true grab bar should be professionally installed, and will be screwed directly into your wall.  Vertical and horizontal grab bars are recommended.  These will be helpful when getting into and out of the tub from a standing position, or when sitting down or getting up out of the tub itself.  While you may see some diagonal grab bars designed to be used at several angles, these are not recommended; according to a study done by the University of Missouri, a wet hand may not be able to get a solid grip on them.  And while you're getting grab bars installed in your shower, you may want to consider putting them around your toilet as well.  Some toilets sit too low for the elderly to get on to or off of comfortably, and a grab bar will allow a solid surface to hold on to.

Suppose a grab bar on its own isn't enough, and you need another device to help you into the tub.  Bath lifts are quickly becoming a popular option.  These devices are powered by battery and install in minutes.  They allow the user to sit comfortably and be lowered into and raised out of the tub without having to step over the edge.  And don't worry about getting stuck - though powered by battery, most bath lifts have a feature that will not lower the user into the tub if it knows it does not have enough power to pick them up again.

If these options still aren't enough, the next step may be to look into a walk-in bath.  These handy tubs feature an inward swinging door that allows for easy access for people of any physical capability.  It also allows the user to sit comfortably as if sitting in a chair, and the addition of bubble jets and whirlpools promises a soothing bath time experience.  They also sport handsome chrome faucets that will match most any bathroom.

While any option will be somewhat costly, the pros far outweigh the cons.  You can't put a price on your or your loved one's safety, so look into these bathroom safety features today before an accident happens in your home.