Dear Savvy Senior,

What tips or products can you recommend to make a bathroom more senior-friendly. My husband and I are looking to adapt our home for our elderly years and would like to start with the bathroom. What can you tell us?

Aging Gracefully

Home Instead Senior Care sponsors Jim Miller's Savvy Senior column

Dear Aging,

Because more accidents and injuries happen in the bathroom than any other room in the house, this is a great place to start seniorizing.

Here’s what you should know.

Small Changes

To avoid hygiene hardships as you get older, let’s start with some simple tips and a few low-cost add-ons that can make a big difference in making your bathroom safer and easier to maneuver.   

• Floor: To avoid slipping and tripping, get non-skid bath rugs for the floors or secure existing floor mats or rugs with double-sided rug tape. 
• Lights: The older we get the more light we need, so install the highest wattage bulbs allowed for your fixtures, and get a plug in nightlight that automatically turns on when the room gets dark.
• Entrance: If the doorway into the bathroom is not wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair or walker, you can easily widen your doorways (two inches) with inexpensive offset door hinges.
• Bath/shower: To make bathing safer, buy a non-slip rubber mat or put down self-stick strips on the tub/shower floor, and install grab bars for support. If you use the shower, it’s a good idea to put in a shower curtain rod that screws or bolts into the wall (versus a tension-mounted rod), so that if you lose your balance and grab the shower curtain, the rod won’t spring loose. Another safety precaution is to put in a water-resistant, wall-mounted phone in or near the bath/shower in case of a fall. And many seniors with mobility or balance problems need to shower sitting down. If this applies to you, install a hand-held, adjustable-height shower head, and buy a portable bath/shower chair.
• Toilet: Install grab bars next to the toilet too if possible, or purchase a toilet seat riser. This adds two-to-four inches of height making it easier to sit and rise. 
• Faucets: If you have twist handles on the sink, bathtub or shower faucets, replace them with lever handles. They’re easier to turn, especially for seniors with arthritis or limited hand strength. Also be aware that it takes only 130-degree water to scald you, so turn your hot water heater down to 120 degrees or get anti-scald devices for your faucets.

Bathroom Products

If you’re thinking about remodeling, there are a variety of practical and stylish products on the market that can make your bathroom more age-friendly.

For bathing, prefabricated “curbless showers” and “walk-in bathtubs” are two popular options today. Curbless showers have no threshold to step over so access is a breeze and ideal for wheelchair users. Theses showers also typically come with a built-in seat, grab bars, an adjustable hand-held shower head, and a slip resistant textured floor. Or, if you like to take baths, a walk-in bathtub with a front door may be the way to go. You can find these products at sites like Accessible-Showers.com and Premier-Bathrooms.com. 

If you’re interested in getting a new toilet, go with an ADA compliant “comfort height” toilet that’s 17 inches high, versus a standard toilet that’s only 15 inches. Kohler (Kohler.com) and American Standard (AmericanStandard-us.com) make a nice variety.

And if you’re putting in a new sink, install it at a level that reduces bending. For wheelchair access wall-mounted or pedestal sinks, or a sink built into a cabinet that’s open underneath will let you roll in nice and close. And if you get a new faucet, the single lever handle style is great for those with arthritis.

Savvy Tips: For more information on senior-friendly modification tips visit aarp.org/families/home_design/bath and Homemods.org. Also contact your nearby independent living center (ilru.org, 713-520-0232). These are nonprofit centers that provide modification information, and many even offer free or low-cost home assessments. Your Area Agency on Aging (800-677-1116) is also a good referral resource.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit http://SavvySenior.org.

About Jim Miller

Jim Miller, creator of syndicated The Savvy Senior column

Jim Miller is the creator of Savvy Senior, a syndicated information column for older Americans and their families that is published in more than 400 newspapers and magazines nationwide. Jim is also a contributor on NBC’s “Today” show, and is the author of The Savvy Senior, The Ultimate Guide to Health, Family and Finances for Senior Citizens, (Hyperion, 2004).  

Jim is frequently quoted in articles about issues affecting senior citizens and has been featured in numerous high profile publications, including Time magazine, USA Today and The New York Times.  In addition, he has made multiple appearances on CNBC, CNN, Retirement Living Television and national public television. 

The Savvy Senior column is brought to you by Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond and Tappahannock

Home Instead Senior Care provides extraordinary senior home care, personal care and companionship services to seniors in the Richmond area which includes the counties of Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico and Powhatan.  We also serve all of the Northern Neck out of our Tappahannock office.  For more information, please visit our digital brochure or call our office at 804.527.1100 anytime.

P.S. There are more helpful hints like this in the book, Stages of Senior Care.  Call us to inquire about how to get a copy.

Dear Savvy Senior,

What do I need to do to get Social Security disability? I’m 58 years old and have back problems that are keeping me from doing my job, but I’ve heard it’s very difficult to actually get disability benefits. What tips can you offer?

Disabled Dave

Jim Miller, creator of Savvy Senior column, answers your questions about senior life.

Dear Dave,

The process of getting Social Security disability benefits can be tricky and time-consuming, but you can help yourself by doing some homework and getting prepared.

Here’s what you should know.

Last year, around 3 million people applied for Social Security disability benefits, but two-thirds of them were denied. Why the high denial rate? Because most applicants fail to provide sufficient medical evidence that prove they’re disabled and can’t work. While there are no magic tips to getting Social Security disability, there are several steps you can take to give yourself a better chance for a favorable decision.

Get Informed

Your first step is to know if your disability meets Uncle Sam’s criteria. Social Security strictly requires that you must be physically or mentally unable to perform “any” substantial work and have a medical condition that’s lasted or is expected to last at least a year or result in death. You must also have worked five out of the last 10 years and be under full retirement age. For more details, see ssa.gov/dibplan/dqualify4.htm and go through the five questions Social Security uses to decide if you’re disabled.

If you think you qualify, your next step is to learn all you can about how the program works. Your best resource is http://SocialSecurity.gov – click on “Disability.”  Or, if you don’t have Internet access, Social Security offers lots of free publications that you can have mailed to you including “Disability Benefits” (publication No. 05-10029) which provides a good comprehensive overview. Call 800-772-1213 to order publications.

Get Prepared

After you bone up, your next step is to gather up your personal, financial and medical information so you can be prepared and organized for the application process. You’ll need your Social Security number; birth certificate; names, addresses and phone numbers of the doctors, hospitals and clinics that took care of you and dates of your visits; names and dosage of all the medicine you take; medical records from your doctors, therapists, hospitals and clinics; lab and test results; documents stating your physician’s objective view of your condition, restrictions and limitations; a summary of where you worked and the kind of work you did; and a copy of your most recent W-2 Form or, if you are self-employed, your federal tax return for the past year.

How to Apply

After you get all your information together, you can then apply either online at ssa.gov/applyfordisability, or call 800-772-1213 to make an appointment to apply at your local Social Security office or to set up an appointment for someone to take your claim over the phone. The whole process lasts about an hour. If you schedule an appointment, a “Disability Starter Kit” that will help you get ready for your interview will be mailed to you. If you apply online, the kit is available at ssa.gov/disability.

Be Patient

It takes three to five months from the initial application to receive either an award or initial denial of disability benefits. The only exception is if you have a chronic illness that qualifies you for a “compassionate allowance,” (see ssa.gov/compassionateallowances) which fast-tracks cases within 10 days.

Be Persistent

If Social Security denies your application for disability, you can request a hearing to appeal the decision, and you’ll be happy to know that roughly 55 percent of cases that go through a round or two of appeals end with benefits being awarded. But the bad news is, with backlog of over 700,000 people currently waiting for a hearing, it will take a year or two for you to get one.

Get Help

If you are having trouble getting your applications in order or need help with your appeal, consider getting an attorney or a Social Security disability claims services company to represent you. A representative can only charge you if they’re successful in getting you benefits. If they do succeed, typical fees are 25 percent of past-due benefits or $6,000, whichever is less.  

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit http://SavvySenior.org.

About Jim Miller

Jim Miller is the creator of Savvy Senior, a syndicated information column for older Americans and their families that is published in more than 400 newspapers and magazines nationwide. Jim is also a contributor on NBC’s “Today” show, and is the author of The Savvy Senior, The Ultimate Guide to Health, Family and Finances for Senior Citizens, (Hyperion, 2004).  

Jim is frequently quoted in articles about issues affecting senior citizens and has been featured in numerous high profile publications, including Time magazine, USA Today and The New York Times.  In addition, he has made multiple appearances on CNBC, CNN, Retirement Living Television and national public television. 

The Savvy Senior column is brought to you by Home Instead Senior Care of Richmond and Tappahannock

Home Instead Senior Care provides extraordinary senior care, personal care and companionship services to seniors in the Richmond area which includes the counties of Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico and Powhatan.  We also service all of the Northern Neck out of our Tappahannock office.  For more information, please visit our digital brochure or call our office at 804.527.1100 anytime.