Safely shower, prevent falls

As the holidays approach, my best words of advice are to be careful. As seniors, we sometimes forget we are old. I was talking to one of my neighbors and noticed he had a brace on his leg.

I said, “What happened?” And he told me that he fell. I asked “Where?” and he said in the shower. I asked, “How bad is it ?” And he replied, “Bad enough to ruin my holidays.”

I thought, Isn’t that interesting? Here I am, in the age-in-place bathroom business, and I never thought to approach my neighbor about his bathroom. I never thought he was old enough to need help or maybe I was just too busy. What a lousy friend, I was thinking to myself.

I know the statistics, so I will tell you so you won’t ruin your holidays, too.

Seventy-two percent of all seniors are hurt falling getting in and out of the tub. Ninety-two percent of seniors are hurt falling in the bathroom. These are pretty staggering stats when you think about it.

Yes, we are all procrastinators. Yes, we don’t want to spend the money — especially since gas and food costs doubled recently. Yet, my best advice to all seniors is be proactive. And here’s why:

If seniors can save a ton on hospital bills by not falling — plus save on rehab and possibly care home bills — we will be way ahead. So, here’s the plan. Fix your bathroom and quit procrastinating. Sure, it may cost a few bucks to change the tub to a low-entry shower with a non-slip floor, put in some handibars and make the bathroom safer, but the cost of that is nothing compared to hospital bills.

If only I had taken the time to communicate this in a gentle way to my neighbor. Well, now I am communicating this to all of you. Be proactive. Keep your quality of life and enjoy life and your holidays.

Call Matt or Mike with Tropical or go to our showroom at 1351 S. Beretania St., where we have safe shower displays and options. All our products are manufactured by Jacuzzi or Onyx, plus they all have a lifetime warranty.

So, don’t ruin your holidays. Be akamai and keep it simple and call Matt and Mike at Tropical. Call 808-593-2000 and be one of the first 20 homeowners who qualify by getting a free estimate and Matt or Mike will buy you lunch at Big City Diner.

Aloha and mahalo and happy holidays from all the local boys and wahine at Tropical.