Bathroom safety for a lifetime

When most people think of bathroom safety, they think of handi-bars. They think nothing else can be done to get ready for aging in place. Well, there are a whole list of areas that can be taken into consideration. However, most seniors think that’s good enough, and sometimes it can be — but let’s look at statistics.

• Getting in and out of a tub

• Slippery floors

• Slippery tub surfaces from spilled soap or shampoo

• Falling trying to hang onto a towel bar

• No handi-bars.

Most seniors think it is a waste of money to be proactive and look to prevent accidents before they happen.

Well, think of it this way:

• Would you drive with no car insurance?

• Would you not have homeowners or hurricane insurance?

• Would you not lock your home up before you go on a trip or before you went to bed at night?

• Would you not put you hard-earned money in a bank and just keep it at home?

This is being proactive. There are lots of things you think are absolutely necessary, but when it comes to being proactive and making your home’s bathroom safe for aging in place, it is mostly seen as a waste of money.

Why do most seniors think this way? I believe it is because they are from a special generation of hardworking and hard-saving people. Most seniors come from a time when a dollar was a dollar, and $100 was a lot. Buying unnecessary comforts was a waste of money.

Well, life has changed in more ways than one. First, $100 is worth what $25 used to be. Now that we are older, it is the time to be proactive so we can enjoy our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Who can afford that $5,000-$15,000 care home bill (that’s per month!) if we get hurt?

So, here’s the plan. Call the experts at Bathroom Safety Tropical.

Tropical can come to your home and design you a safe, affordable and beautiful bathroom so you can age in place. Tropical does about 15-20 bathroom remodels a month, so there is nothing Tropical has not seen. Tropical’s owners Mike and Matt see hundreds of bathrooms every year — and some are pretty bad. No worries! Call Tropical and they can make that tired old bathroom safe and practical.

Or, if your shy to make an appointment, come to Tropical’s showroom at 1351 S. Beretania St. We are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There, you can see all our lifetime products made by Jacuzzi and Onyx — the only mold-and mildew-resistant products available. Tropical is a general contractor doing business in Hawaii for over 40 years, with 20,000-plus Hawaii customers. So remember, “buy local” and call Tropical at 593-2000.