Aging in Place—Safe and Secure Bathrooms

Accessibility Guidelines: CC/ANSI A117.1 defines adaptability as the capability of certain elements to be altered or added so as to accommodate the needs of persons with or without disabilities, or to accommodate the needs of persons with different types or degrees of disabilities. Some codes and civil rights laws require provisions in certain residential bathrooms for adaptable features. All essential considerations for accessible bathroom design.

For single family custom homes or remodeling projects, bathroom designs should be specially tailored to the individual homeowners. If a master bathroom is planned for a wheelchair user, for example, the design should reflect that person’s individual capabilities and preferences.

Note that the Americans with Disabilities Act/Architectural Barriers Act (ADA/ABA) Accessibility Guidelines 2004 are not typically applied to private residential facilities because the previously issued Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) standards already apply. However, bathrooms located in “transient lodging” facilities (e.g., hotels) or public institutional facilities (e.g., hospitals) may be required to meet both the ADA/ABA Accessibility Guidelines and the FHAA standards.

With all these standards in effect, it is imperative to verify current local, state, and national requirements for residential accessible bathroom and toilet room design. “Aging in Place—Safe and Secure Bathrooms” is one of many AGS Online series that address the needs of an aging population and reflect the current standard of care in building design.

PLANNING FOR BATHROOM ADAPTABILITY

According to an article on eastersealstech.com, there are five big questions to ask when it comes to accessible bathroom design:

What bathroom activities require a user to need assistance?
Are there medical supplies necessary and where do they need to be placed?
Is a tub or shower preferred?
What activities does a user do independently where grab bars should be placed?
Will users condition deteriorate over time and what will users needs be in the future?

The article also lists high-priority focus areas: shower and tub, bathroom sink and vanity, toilet, lighting, and general bathroom access and safety.

ACCESSIBLE BATHROOM DESIGN

For such a relatively small space, bathrooms have many different accessible-design aspects that must be considered beyond the obvious issues of entry and function . These include doors, floors, counters, and storage areas.

Doors

Many experienced specialists on aging advise that bathroom doors be hinged to open out toward the hall, rather than into the bathroom. If anyone should fall against the door while using the bathroom, they won’t block helpers’ access.

Floors

Slick or highly polished marble, ceramic, or porcelain tiles can be very hazardous when wet, and can cause injuries due to a fall. Choose from a wide variety of materials that have a matte, honed, or somewhat textured finish to increase traction. With age, the human body is more sensitive to cool or colder surfaces; for colder climates, radiant floor heating is an easily installed option with many types and styles available.

Counters

The selection of countertop materials is often based on cost and aesthetics, but maintenance of the counter also should be considered. Because aging users with diminished eyesight may not notice that cleaning is needed, counter material that is much more resistant to bacterial growth is worth exploring.

Providing a 36‐in.‐high counter as well as a 30‐in.‐high counter with a bench allows for a variety of users, seated or standing, tall or short. This provision is more important than double sinks, which often reduce necessary counter space.

Storage

Full‐extension drawer glides and pullout drawer storage below counters allow for more accessible storage. Lever handles are more easily operated no matter the users’ age or ability.

Accessible bathroom design plan

ACCESSIBLE TOILETS AND TOILET SEAT HEIGHTS

Although the selection of toilets and bidets is usually based on personal choice, the seat height of toilets is an major factor. Taller seats (17–18 in.) are usually found in two‐piece sets. While taller seats are preferable for ambulatory people who might have difficulty standing up, they may pose a problem for shorter users.

Grab Bars

Grab bars are critical elements in the lives of many people with mobility issues. They allow for safe toilet transfer, and provide a secure grip when entering and leaving a tub or shower. They can assist someone in bending over to towel off. Grab bars also can assist nondisabled users by preventing accidental falls.

Grab bars come in five types or styles, some with higher aesthetic appeal—especially important to avoid creating an institutional appearance in a residence:

Standard common style that mounts directly to studs or plywood
Ceiling/wall‐ or floor/wall‐mounted versions
Seat‐mounted bars that attach to the sides of the toilet; these do not have sufficient stability to meet accessibility codes
Portable bars that screw and clamp to the sides of a tub; these may not meet accessibility codes
Swing‐away support bars that pivot up and away; these may not meet accessibility codes

A standard grab bar must be firmly and securely installed directly into the studs or into walls that have been reinforced with wood framing or faced with a minimum ¾‐inch sheet of plywood. Plywood is preferred as a support material as it allows for the placement of most grab bars along a wall and in a number of locations based on users’ preference.

SHOWERS IN ACCESSIBLE BATHROOM DESIGN

When existing conditions permit or in new construction, design a shower area with a zero‐clearance entry to provide easy entrance and exit. Plan for the water controls to be located near the entrance rather than under the showerhead. Include a handheld showerhead, grab bar, and a seat for an extra measure of safety, comfort, and security. A post on the interior design and home improvement site Houzz suggests some creative solutions, such as leaving out a shower door in warmer climates, a wall-hung toilet, and a floor with a one-way slope.

Outdoor Kitchens—Residential Kitchen Design

An outdoor kitchen is an excellent way to equip your backyard for entertaining and feeding hungry friends and family. Outdoor kitchens range from small areas with little more than a built-in barbeque grill to large, fully equipped kitchens complete with one or more grills, countertops, sinks, bars, and storage cabinets. Other features may include circular fire pits or a masonry fire pit section. Their popularity has grown dramatically over the past fifteen years.

KITCHEN PLANNING GUIDELINES FOR THE OUTDOORS

When planning an outdoor kitchen, the designer should determine how the kitchen will be used by asking a number of vital questions: What types of meals will be prepared—gourmet, basic grilling, or smoking? Will food preparation take place inside or outside? How many cooks will need to use the outdoor kitchen at one time? Does the kitchen need to be accessible? Is refrigeration required?

The outdoor kitchen can be as basic as a grill or as complex as a typical indoor kitchen, but one thing remains consistent: the more complex the kitchen, the greater will be the demand for services. The connections for gas, water, and electricity generally will all come from the home itself. In planning for the outdoor kitchen, remember to check whether these existing services can handle the added capacity. This, of course, leads to even more questions. Will hot and cold water be required? How will drains tie into the existing sanitary and storm sewer systems?

According to Amanda Lecky of This Old House magazine, there are three basic types of outdoor kitchens: movable, prefab, and custom. Movable is the smallest and cheapest, while custom is—predictably—the most expensive but also the most flexible and customizable.

OUTDOOR KITCHEN LAYOUT

Planning an outdoor kitchen requires two major facets of design: the layout of the kitchen itself, and the layout of the kitchen site within the larger context of your property. When choosing a site, the designer should consider how convenient the space is to entrances and to the indoor kitchen, as well as what obstacles might make transferring food outside difficult. Is the area flat, or will terracing be required? Will the outdoor kitchen serve food to people both inside and outside? Will the kitchen be sheltered from the elements, or will it be subjected to rain, wind, snow, and ice?

Despite the wide range of factors affecting an outdoor kitchen, the layout should follow the same guidelines as a normal indoor kitchen. Recommendations from the publication Kitchen Planning Guidelines, published by the National Kitchen + Bath Association, are generally as appropriate to outdoor kitchens as to indoor kitchens. Kitchen function is still broken down into zones (hot, cold, wet, and dry), although smaller outdoor kitchens may eliminate the cold and/or wet zones.

One of the most important considerations when you are planning any kitchen is to provide adequate space to prepare and organize the meal—that is, counter space. Each piece of equipment needs some counter space adjacent to it, known as “landing areas”; recommendations vary, depending on the equipment.

PATIO PLANNING

Because of their similarity in function, and the tendency of the two spaces to end up integrated into each other, the planning of outdoor kitchens is strongly tied to the planning of patios. On a confined site with only one outdoor area, the patio space should serve multiple uses, including food preparation and service. In larger gardens, a variety of outdoor spaces can enhance the sense of spaciousness and the seasonal usefulness. Here are some key tips on patio planning:

The patio should have some sun year round, especially in northern climates. Use deciduous trees, arbors, and awnings for summer shade.
Plan the house to screen the patio from the street and from neighboring houses, including upper windows. The acceptable level of privacy will range from secluded (for sunbathing) to minimal (for gardening). Use fences, walls, arbors, and planting for privacy.
A dining patio must be convenient to the kitchen, but other patio areas might be related to the living room or remote from the house.
The patio should be generous in size. Furniture dimensions that are acceptable indoors seem smaller outdoors, and people prefer more room. Use paving materials that are nonslip, such as stone, brick, concrete, wood deck, and grass.
To ensure public safety, many jurisdictions require that a swimming pool be enclosed by a minimum 4‐ft.‐high fence with a gate. Check local codes. Pools are often covered and/or drained for winter and are not as attractive as they are in the summer. Keep this in mind when locating the pool.

CIRCULAR FIRE PITS

A wide range of outdoor cooking equipment is available to enable frying, wok cooking, pizza making, and lobster or crab boils. In addition to typical refrigerators and freezers, wine coolers and beer dispensers are also available for storing and chilling food and beverages. However, one of the most welcoming appliances for an outdoor kitchen is a circular fire pit.

Built‐in fire pits—basically a contemporary version of a campfire—serve as a focal point to bring people together outside. They extend the season for using outdoor space and can provide welcome warmth when a chill sets in. In addition, they can be used for grilling.

Before constructing a fire pit, consult local codes and ordinances. Some areas have regulations preventing or limiting open flames. In any instance, the priority of the fire pit design is to safely contain the fire.

The optimal size for a fire pit is 36 to 44 in. in diameter. A fire pit should sit low to the ground, with its walls rising no more than a foot above grade. Fire pits are often shop-fabricated from copper or other metals and may be purchased from garden or outdoor furniture stores.

Outdoor kitchen's essential circular firepit — Outdoor kitchen’s essential circular firepit

Accessible Kitchen Design – Aging in Place

With an ever-increasing number of multi-generational family members under one roof, accessible kitchen design focuses on residential kitchens that need to be adaptable to the needs of many, including older people who may have individualized food preferences and those with specific dietary requirements. The space will require freedom of movement without extended travel distances, tight passageways, or physical barriers. It will require designs that offer ease of use and access to functional storage, requiring accommodations in cabinet design, floor space, counter heights, and more. The space should continue to encourage conversation and connectivity while family members and friends are gathered around the kitchen table.

As pointed out in the Age in Place blog, the location of the kitchen within the house is also of vital importance: “Kitchens should be located on the main level of the home. If not, you should consider remodeling to add one, as food preparation is an activity of daily living (ADL) and some portion of time daily is spent there.” ]

CHALLENGES IN ACCESSIBLE KITCHEN DESIGN

Accessible kitchen design challenges designers to provide for an individual’s physical inability to stand for extended periods of time, and the loss of upper-body strength that may make it difficult to use wall cabinets for storing heavy items. Counter height is also of vital importance within the kitchen work triangle. Potential solutions include the following:

Keep the footprint of the kitchen work triangle small, with the sum of the three sides no greater than 26 ft., and each side no less than 4 ft.
Vary counter heights to allow cooks to stand and sit when necessary, by providing at least one knee space under the counters, space for a stool to be stored when not in use, or both.
Lower the bottom box of upper cabinets to 15 in. above the counter, and specify full‐extension drawer glides and pullout drawers for all lower‐cabinet storage.
Use pull hardware rather than knobs for easier grasping.
Choose contrasting colors for flooring, cabinets, counters, and so on, which will greatly help the visually impaired cook.

ACCOMMODATING MULTIGENERATIONAL FAMILY MEMBERS IN WHEELCHAIRS

To accommodate a wheelchair in your kitchen cabinet design, it’s important to make sure that your kitchen has adequate floor space for the chair to move and turn. A distance of 48 to 60 in. between countertops is recommended. To increase kitchen accessibility, include multiple counter heights or pull-out bread boards for more flexible work spaces.

Accessible kitchen design requires base cabinets with a higher, deeper toe kick. Also consider leaving a knee space under the microwave oven, with a maximum height of 30 to 32 in. If that is not an option, it is important to at least avoid placing the microwave over a cooktop, due to the danger of lifting a hot dish from an upper height and over a possibly hot cooktop. Positioning a microwave at a lower height and near a landing pad permits the safe transfer of hot containers. Many types of microwave drawers are available, as well as a microwave with a reversible door. Another way to make a kitchen space more efficient and usable is to raise the dishwasher 6 to 18 in. above the floor, which gives everyone easier access.

Kitchen Plan

INDUCTION COOKTOPS AND OTHER INNOVATIONS

Beyond the underlying structure of the kitchen itself, many modern appliances can make a kitchen work triangle more accessible for multigenerational family members.

For both younger and older members of the household who might have trouble opening the main refrigerator, a smaller refrigerator, can be a significant upgrade. Also consider refrigerator drawers for breakfast items and snacks.

For family members who will be cooking, a smooth electric cooking surface is easy to clean and avoids the flame of gas‐supplied heat. Induction cooktops are especially useful: they have the added safety measure of not heating up their surface, instead transferring the energy directly to the cooking utensil. Should gas be the preferred fuel choice, many units are designed with sealed burners, recessed below the surface of the range, which help protect the user from a tall open flame.

Regardless of whether a kitchen features an electric cooking surface, an induction cooktop, or a sealed-burner gas stove, controls in the front (vs. on top) allow for greater safety. Types of control knobs and buttons should be based on users’ ability level. Also, a portable induction cooktop might be a versatile addition for a seated cook, as it can be used outdoors, too.

In terms of ovens, a side‐open oven is a positive addition as it eliminates the need to lift hot items over a hot oven door to remove them. Ideally, a heat‐resistant surface should be installed below and next to the oven to facilitate lifting out the hot food and sliding it over, and then closing the oven door.

Aginginplace.com has a list of other important kitchen items for aging in place, including a lazy Susan in a deep corner cabinet, full-sized oven mitts, large-handled utensils, and even an under-counter jar opener.

Yearly Archives: 2018