The Sit & Spin: A Simple Trick for Bathroom Safety

According to The National Institute on Aging, 80% of falls occur in the bathroom for those aged 65 and older. 

A study that looked at locations and outcomes of falls concluded that “falls in the bathroom were more than twice as likely to result in an injury compared to falls in the living room.” 

It makes sense: the bathroom is composed of nearly all hard surfaces, and those surfaces can often be wet and slippery. It’s easy to see how the majority of falls within the home occur here, and also easy to imagine how these falls are more likely to cause an injury as well. 

For those of you that have a bathtub or a tub shower, I want to share a simple tip that can make getting in and out of your tub much safer for you, as well as easier, so you are less likely to slip and fall.

Imagine you turn on the bath water, then carefully raise one leg to step over your tub in order to get into your shower. There may or may not be much for you to hold onto, and as you step your back leg in, you are putting all of your weight on the leg that is already in the shower, likely standing on a wet surface. Getting back out poses similar risks: standing on one leg as you lift your other leg over the tub, with or without something sturdy to hold for support. If any water escaped the shower while you were in, the bathroom floor may also be wet and slippery. 

Enter: the Sit and Spin. 

Don’t worry, the “spin” aspect is more of a slow swivel than anything. 

Instead of precariously clambering in and out of your tub, you can try sitting on the side of your bathtub (the “sit” aspect), and then bringing each leg into the tub one at a time (this is the “spin” aspect, since your bottom will naturally scooch around as you bring your second leg around and in). From here you can simply stand back up, now with both feet flat on the bottom of your tub. No more standing on one leg on wet slippery surfaces every time you get in and out of your bath. 

If your tub doesn’t have a wide enough or flat enough edge for this, or if the edge of your tub is too low, you can look into getting a “tub transfer bench” that will make this work for you. These benches work so that you can place two of the legs inside the tub and the other two outside of the tub, and this way you have a larger surface to “sit and spin” on. 

an example of a tub transfer bench. image from Amazon.com

Some people will even remain sitting on their transfer bench while they shower, or use it to intermittently sit as needed, instead of standing the whole time. 

You can find a tub transfer bench at your local medical supply store, at a drugstore such as Walgreens, or online such as Target or Amazon. 

Try this trick for yourself and see if it helps you feel safer getting in and out of your bath, or send this to a friend who may find it useful! 

Looking for other ways to prevent falls in your bathroom, as well as the rest of your home? Grab my free checklist “10 Ways to Fall-Proof Your Home” by clicking HERE.