Aging-in-Place Bathroom Checklist

The checklist

• Curbless or low-threshold shower entry — eliminates the trip hazard and step-over height of a traditional tub or curbed shower. See curbless shower building code guide for what's actually required to build one.
• Grab bars, properly anchored at the toilet and shower/tub — see our grab bar installation guide and ADA height chart for exact placement and the critical structural-anchoring requirement.
• Comfort-height (ADA-height) toilet — a taller seat height makes sitting and standing significantly easier and reduces strain on knees and hips.
• Non-slip flooring rated for wet areas — see our DCOF rating guide for the actual standard to look for, since a floor's look or dry-feel doesn't tell you how it performs wet.
• A shower bench or built-in seat — allows bathing while seated, reducing balance demands during a task that already involves water, soap, and a slippery surface.
• A handheld showerhead on a slide bar — usable both standing and seated, and adjustable for a caregiver's assistance if needed.
• Lever-style faucet handles instead of twist knobs — easier to operate for anyone with reduced grip strength or dexterity.
• Improved lighting, including nightlights or motion-activated lighting for nighttime bathroom trips, when falls are especially common.
• Widened doorway (if a full remodel is underway) to accommodate a walker or wheelchair, generally 32" clear minimum, more if a wheelchair needs to turn.
• Emergency call system (a simple pull cord or wearable alert) for anyone with a heightened fall risk living alone.

Pro tip from our network contractors

If a full remodel isn't in the budget right now but you know more changes are likely needed later, ask your contractor to add blocking behind the walls for future grab bars during any other bathroom work — it's a minor addition when walls are already open and a much bigger retrofit later.

Prioritizing when you can't do it all at once

If budget or timing means phasing this in, prioritize by actual fall risk: the shower/tub entry and grab bars address the highest-consequence hazard first, since that's where most bathroom falls happen. A comfort-height toilet and better lighting are typically the next-highest value, lower-cost additions. Full curbless shower conversions and doorway widening are bigger, more disruptive projects, best planned as part of a fuller remodel when the budget and timing allow. Paying for these upgrades doesn't have to come entirely out of pocket — see our government home repair grants by state guide for programs (including VA, Medicaid waivers, and state aging services) that can help cover accessibility modifications.