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Bathroom Safety in Pictures

Making the toilet easier and safer

A raised toilet seat makes standing up easier by adding height, and a frame or rail gives something firm to push on. What suits depends on the person's body and the room, so an occupational therapist measures rather than guessing. Age UK lists all three as equipment.1

Updated , by Bathroom Safety in Pictures

Toilet with long grab rails on the side and rear walls, hotel, with wide floor space12
A hotel toilet with long grab rails on the side wall and the rear wall and plenty of floor space around it. Few homes have this much room, but the idea of something firm on two sides carries over.
  1. 1Toilet height
  2. 2Frames and rails

Two pages on the toilet

Toilet heightRaised seats and what they needFrames and railsArms and rails beside the toilet

What else changes how the toilet feels

Height and handholds are only part of it. A seat that contrasts with the bowl is easier to find for someone with poor sight, and RNIB suggests the same for rails and toilet rolls.2 In new English homes built to the accessible standard, the door of a WC opens outwards.3 For a lock that can be opened from outside, see door locks. And a night-time visit needs light before it needs anything else.

Sources

  1. Age UK: Factsheet 42, Disability equipment and home adaptations (March 2026) England
  2. RNIB: Practical adaptations for independent living
  3. HM Government: Approved Document M, volume 1 (2015 with 2016 amendments) England, new homes