Many of us find using the restroom an ordinary, mundane task.
However, for our elderly loved ones, using the toilet is challenging and can also be hazardous even.
So, how can you make my toilet seat more comfortable and easier to use for your elderly loved one? Let’s dive right in.
Ways To Make Your Toilet More Comfortable
1. Add Cushioning
You can improve the comfort of your toilet seat by simply adding cushioning. Cushioning your toilet seat with a padded toilet seat reduces the problem of pressure points building up while using the toilet.
The cushioned seats also help relieve some conditions that affect seniors. For instance, cushioned toilet seats can relieve hemorrhoids, reducing the discomfort associated with the situation.
Additionally, the cushion around the toilet seat can improve the user’s balance, improving their comfort levels and reducing the risk of falling. Padded seats can even make your toilet seat warmer!
2. Install A Raised Toilet Seat
Lower seats are difficult to reach and force one to arch their backs uncomfortably. Bending down and standing up can be difficult as you need an increased range of motion.
To counter this, you should consider installing a raised toilet seat. Raised toilet seats increase the height of the toilet, reducing the extent to which you have to squat down when sitting on the toilet seat.
3. Install Grab Handles
In some cases, the discomfort is not directly associated with the shape and size of the toilet.
It might be the case that your elderly loved one experiences discomfort due to instability they experience whenever they use the restroom.
Due to this instability, your loved one finds it difficult, if not impossible, to use the toilet comfortably.
Installing grab bars near the toilet can provide a solid anchor for your loved one to hold onto rather than experiencing instability.
Installing the grab handles makes it easier for the older adults to sit down and stand up from the toilet seat, thereby improving the general comfort of using the bathroom.
4. Refit The Bathroom With An Inherently Comfortable Toilet Seat
In some cases, the fixes above will not suffice to improve the overall comfort of the toilet seat for your elderly loved one. You might install the most comfortable toilet seat available on the market.
And if you’re thinking of carrying out some home improvements as you head into retirement, you should consider installing a new, more comfortable toilet seat.
When choosing the toilet seat to install, opt for the more ergonomic elongated toilet seat. The longer and wider stature of the seats provide a wider surface area for support. This width increases the stability of the seat, which in turn improves the comfort levels.
Padded toilet seats are one of the most popular options because they are made of soft foam rather than a standard toilet seat’s more rigid plastic or wood.
5. Install A Commode Chair
In some cases, the discomfort experienced is far more pronounced due to prevailing health conditions a senior loved one might have.
For instance, seniors who are unsteady while standing and spend a lot of their time in bed might find it difficult and sometimes impossible to use the toilet seat.
In such cases, you can install a commode designed for use in toilets to improve the comfort of your senior loved one. They feature a variety of support and safety features, which enhance the ease of access to the toilet.
Crucially, they reduce the risk of falling while encouraging seniors to be safely independent.
Conclusion
Solutions to an uncomfortable toilet seat are plenty.
Whether it is installing grab handles, adding toilet seat cushions, installing a new and more ergonomic toilet seat, or installing a commode chair around the bathroom.
Choose your solutions based on the particular needs of your loved one.
