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Bathroom falls in older adults: how common they are, and how to prevent them
The bathroom is one of the easiest rooms in the house to make safer, and one of the most important. Here is what the Canadian data says about falls as we age, why bathrooms carry extra risk, and the changes that actually lower it.
The short version
- For Canadians 65 and older, falls cause 89% of injury-related hospitalizations (CIHI, 2022).
- Most of those hospitalizations involve older adults living in their own home, not a care facility (PHAC, 2022).
- You do not need a renovation. Non-slip surfaces, grab bars in the studs, a lower step-in and a place to sit do most of the work.
How serious are falls for older Canadians?
Falls are the leading cause of injury for older adults in Canada. In 2022, falls caused 89% of injury-related hospitalizations among people aged 65 and older, and there were 78,076 fall-related hospitalizations in that age group across reporting provinces and territories, excluding Quebec (Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2022).
The trend is going the wrong way. Fall-related deaths among older adults rose 51% between 2017 and 2022 (Statistics Canada). And these are not mostly happening in hospitals or care homes: more than 83% of fall-related hospitalizations involved older adults living in a household residence (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2022). Most of these falls happen where people feel safest, at home.
The injuries are serious, too. About a third of fall-related hospitalizations (34%) involved a hip fracture (CIHI, 2022), which often changes how independently a person can live afterward.
Why the bathroom carries extra risk
A bathroom packs several hazards into a small, hard, wet space:
- Wet, smooth surfaces that turn slippery.
- Hard fixtures, the tub edge, sink and toilet, with little safe to grab.
- A high tub wall you have to lift a leg over to get in and out.
- Standing and turning on one foot while you wash.
- Lower lighting, especially on a trip to the bathroom at night.
The good news is that none of these need a full renovation to fix. They need the right fittings in the right places.
A practical bathroom safety checklist
If you do nothing else, work through this list. It targets the exact moments where bathroom falls tend to happen.
Stop the slip
Add a bonded non-slip surface to the tub or shower floor. A surface that is fixed in place will not shift or bunch the way a loose mat can.
Give yourself something to hold
Fit grab bars anchored into the wall studs (not suction cups) beside the tub and the toilet. A vertical bar helps at the step-in, and a horizontal bar helps as you move along the wall.
Lower the step-in
A tub cut-out turns a high tub wall into a low step-through, so you stop climbing over the side. It is the single change that removes the riskiest moment of a bath.
Sit to wash, and bring the water to you
A bath board or a built-in seat lets you bathe seated instead of standing, and a handheld shower lets you rinse without reaching or turning.
Make the toilet easier
A higher seat and rails beside the toilet make sitting down and standing up safer, which is a common spot for a stumble.
Light the path
A night light and a clear, uncluttered floor cut down on trips in the dark.
These are standard home-safety recommendations, not medical advice. If you have specific mobility or health needs, an occupational therapist can tailor them to you.
Do these changes actually help?
Health and safety organizations consistently recommend home modifications and properly anchored grab bars as part of fall prevention for older adults. The logic is simple. Most bathroom falls come from a small number of fixable hazards, so removing those hazards removes a large share of the risk. You are not trying to make the room perfect, just to take away the few things most likely to put you on the floor.
What about paying for it?
Some equipment may qualify for support. Ontario's Assistive Devices Program can help with certain mobility and home health equipment, and other programs may help with home modifications. We explain how it works, honestly, on our funding page, and we will point you toward what you may be eligible for.
Common questions
Where do most senior falls happen? +
At home. More than 83% of fall-related hospitalizations among Canadians aged 65 and older involve people living in a household residence rather than a care facility (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2022).
Do grab bars really make a difference? +
They give you a stable hold exactly where you change position, at the step-in and beside the toilet, which is where many bathroom falls happen. Anchor them into the wall studs, not with suction cups.
Do I need a full renovation? +
No. A tub cut-out, grab bars, a bonded non-slip surface and a place to sit are usually enough, and they install in a single visit without demolition.
Can the tub still be used for a bath? +
Yes, depending on the option you choose. A convertible cut-out seals back up so you can still fill the tub for a full soak, while a basic cut-out turns the tub into an easy low-entry shower.
Make your bathroom safer without a renovation
We convert the tub you already have with a low step-through cut-out, grab bars and a non-slip surface, installed in one visit. Packages start at $999, delivery and installation included.
Sources
- Public Health Agency of Canada, Falls among older adults in Canada (Health Infobase), 2022. health-infobase.canada.ca/falls-in-older-adults
- Canadian Institute for Health Information, Discharge Abstract Database, 2022 (hospitalization and hip-fracture figures, via the source above; CIHI hospitalization counts exclude Quebec).
- Statistics Canada, Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database, 2022 (fall-related death figures, via the source above).
- City of Belleville, 2026 Accessibility Excellence Award winners. belleville.ca