Toilets for Senior citizens

Senior citizens who find it difficult to walk often find it difficult to use their bathroom toilet as well. The mechanics of sitting down on a tiny stool and lifting oneself up without any support can be difficult, especially for a senior citizen that finds it difficult to bend or has lost lower body strength. To raise the toilet seat to a comfortable height, a caregiver may wish to consider some of the following options:

Toilet seat riser

Toilet seat risers are contoured, plastic seats that sit on top of a regular toilet. Also known as "doughnuts", these portable risers bring the seat to a comfortable height.

Toilet seat risers come in a variety of heights, price points, and models ranging from $12.99 for a standard six inch high riser to $63 for a deluxe model that has a locking feature and arm rests. Simple toilet risers are available at discount department stores such as Target or Walmart. The more deluxe models are only available through medical supply stores or on-line medical retailers. This link to Nexttag.com is worth checking out for a fantastic inventory of toilet seat risers with comparative features, prices, and reviews to help guide your decision.

Toilet safety frame with raised toilet seat

Bedside commodes are portable, waterless toilets that can be used in a bedroom. Some styles of bedside commodes come with multiple features so they can be used in a bathroom as a toilet safety frame with a raised toilet seat. These multi-purpose models can be placed directly over the existing toilet, and will provide a senior with a comfortable sitting height and arm rests for support while standing up or sitting down. While this type of riser isn't as portable as a "doughnut", they are much more sturdy and easier to clean.

Bedside commodes with the safety frame features run from $100 for a basic model up to $300 for extra wide, extra heavy units. Bedside commodes can be found at all medical supply stores.

Toilet elevator

This innovative new product, called the "toilevator" is a toilet base riser that lifts the entire toilet up by 3.5 inches. It fits neatly beneath the base of an existing toilet and is a safe and hygienic way to raise a toilet to a comfortable height for a senior citizen. Best of all, there are no doughnuts or frames to remove for visiting guests. The toilevator costs $74.95 and comes with a complete do it yourself kit. The toilevator can be found at activeforever.com.