Bathroom Falls – Is Your Door Mounted Right?
Your spouse hears something. He hears a moan. He rushes to the bathroom. He sees the light on and hears you calling.
“I’m hurt. I think I’m bleeding.”
“I can’t get up. I’m next to the door.”
He wants to help. Will he be able to open the door?
OR, you’re alone and fall on the bathroom floor with your body next to the door. You’re hurt and can’t get up or move much. You grab your cell phone to call 911 or press the Emergency Alert button around your neck. Will they be able to open the door?
That depends.
Does your bathroom door open INTO the bathroom or does it open OUT from the bathroom into the hallway? The difference could be critical.
If INTO the bathroom it could be an engineering challenge for the emergency crew to somehow break into the room without injuring you more or taking so long you lose too much blood.
If OUT, your spouse (or emergency crew) just opens the door.
Our door opened INTO the bathroom. It took a few hours for a handyman service to take the door down and reverse it. Your cost may vary, but this could be a life-saving investment.
So, now our door opens out. If I (or my stand-in image) falls, all is revealed and accessible.
Some context:
- Falls are one of the biggest dangers to those with poor balance.
- PN eventually causes poor balance for most patients. And poor balance and loss of strength is common among older people, with or without PN.
- Bathrooms are the most common location for falls.
- Bathrooms tend to be small rooms, so blocking the doorway is a real possibility.
Hi Mike,
This is an excellent and well-written article about the great possibility of falls in the bathroom for people with PN. Having a door that swings out to prevent the problem of getting to the fallen person is an outstanding suggestion. I guess I never thought about this before, and I am very glad you addressed this. My master bath actually has two doors which open inward, so I think I will feel safe and secure in this room. However, I am sure there are people in the PN support group where this is not the case, and they should probably take action to switch their doors to open outward.
Fortunately, I have never fallen in my bathroom, but poor balance is one of my PN symptoms due to numbness in both feet. I have fallen in other places inside and outside of my home, and one fall resulted in a broken right wrist for which I had mandatory surgery. And with the aging process, I assume my balance difficulties will deteriorate more.
Thanks for this great suggestion!!
Mary Jo