Remove the step over the tub wall, add grab bars and a seat, and put a slip resistant floor and handheld sprayer within reach. Those changes target where CDC data show most bathroom injuries happen: in or around the tub or shower.
Updated October 2026. General information, not medical, tax, insurance or legal advice.
Making a bathroom safe for aging in place starts with removing the high tub wall, then adding grab bars, a seat, a slip resistant floor and a handheld sprayer. Those changes target the spot where CDC researchers found bathroom injury rates were highest, in or around the tub or shower. In Arkansas the need is broad: Census ACS data show 17.3 percent of residents are 65 or older and 26.4 percent of them report an ambulatory difficulty.
More than most people guess. Census American Community Survey 2023 estimates put 17.3 percent of Arkansas residents at 65 or older, and 31.2 percent of the state's households include someone in that age group. Among Arkansans 65 and older, 40.3 percent report a disability, 26.4 percent report an ambulatory difficulty and 8.6 percent report a self care difficulty, which includes bathing.
Some towns sit far above the state figure. In Hot Springs Village, 59.9 percent of residents are 65 or older and 70.9 percent of households include someone that age. Bella Vista is at 31.9 percent. In Hot Springs, 30.4 percent of residents 65 and older report an ambulatory difficulty and 20.7 percent of households are a person 65 or older living alone. For those households, a bathroom that is safe to use without help is the difference between staying home and moving.
| Area | Share 65 and older | 65+ with an ambulatory difficulty | Households: 65+ living alone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | 17.3 percent | 26.4 percent | 12.2 percent |
| Hot Springs Village | 59.9 percent | 15.4 percent | 23.4 percent |
| Bella Vista | 31.9 percent | 13.4 percent | 14 percent |
| Hot Springs | 23.3 percent | 30.4 percent | 20.7 percent |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5 year estimates, 2023, tables S1810, B01001, B11007.
In and around the tub or shower. A CDC study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report estimated 234,094 nonfatal bathroom injuries treated in United States emergency departments in 2008 among people 15 and older. The authors wrote that “Falls were the most common primary cause of injury (81.1%)”, and the highest injury rates were for injuries that occurred in or around the tub or shower, at 65.8 per 100,000. The overall rate climbed with age, reaching 515.3 per 100,000 among people 85 and older.
The reason is the motion a standard tub demands: lifting one leg over a wall about knee high while standing on a wet surface, then lowering yourself down. The CDC authors pointed to adding grab bars inside and outside the tub or shower to reduce falls. Every aging in place change below aims at that same moment, getting in and out, rather than at the look of the room.
Five changes do most of the work, in this order. First, remove the step: a low threshold walk in shower, easy to step over, or a walk in tub with a door, replaces the climb over a tub wall. Second, add grab bars where hands naturally go, inside the shower and at the entry, anchored into the wall structure. Third, provide a seat, built in or fold down, so bathing can happen sitting. Fourth, choose a slip resistant base. Fifth, add a handheld sprayer on a slide bar so the water comes to the person.
Smaller details help too: a niche at seated height so nobody bends for shampoo, a curtain or wide door instead of a narrow swing door, and lighting at the entry. A walk in tub suits someone who wants a seated soak; a low threshold shower suits someone who uses a walker or wants the quickest daily routine. Either can be installed in as little as one day when it fits the existing space.
Typical Bath Planet installed ranges for accessible showers run $15,000 to $24,000 for a low step walk in shower with the standard low threshold, $16,000 to $22,000 for a shower with a seat and grab bars, and $19,000 to $24,000 for a full accessible bath conversion. A walk in tub runs $14,000 to $20,000, and a tub to shower conversion $10,000 to $18,000. These ranges are the same across Arkansas, and a seat, grab bars and a handheld sprayer are priced as part of the written quote.
What moves the price is the threshold height, the size of the shower, and how many built in safety features you add. If someone in the home uses a walker or wheelchair, talk with a designer about your needs at the free in home consultation. Your exact number comes from a free in home consultation, where the measurements, the entry width and the person's actual mobility needs are checked in the room itself.
Original Medicare does not pay for a new tub or shower; the CMS equipment list marks bathtub seats, lifts and grab bars as not primarily medical. Three other routes can help. Medicare Advantage plans may offer bathroom safety devices as a supplemental benefit, sometimes with an in home bathroom safety inspection by a qualified health professional. Arkansas Medicaid's ARChoices in Homecare waiver covers Environmental Accessibility Adaptions for people 21 through 64 with a physical disability or 65 and older who meet financial and nursing home level of care criteria; call Access Arkansas at 855 372 1084.
Veterans can apply for the VA HISA grant, a lifetime $6,800 for a service connected disability or a rating of at least 50 percent, and $2,000 for other eligible Veterans, with bathroom changes named as an example. Each program approves the work before it starts. Our Medicare guide walks through every rule with its source.
Before the first fall, not after it. The changes that make a bathroom safe are the same whether they are made early or late in retirement, but they are far easier to plan while everyone is healthy and nobody is waiting on a hospital discharge. A useful trigger is the first time someone holds the towel bar or the sink to get out of the tub, because towel bars are not built to hold a person's weight.
Timing also matters in older housing. Census ACS data show 40.5 percent of Arkansas homes were built before 1980, and many have one full bath. A project that keeps that bath out of service for weeks is a real burden, which is why a system that installs in as little as one day suits aging in place work. Book a free in home consultation, include the person who will use the bathroom, and decide on the layout, the seat height and the grab bar positions together.
Removing the step over the tub wall. CDC researchers found the highest bathroom injury rates in or around the tub or shower, and falls caused 81.1% of the bathroom injuries they studied. A low threshold shower or a walk in tub with a door takes away that climb, and grab bars, a seat and a slip resistant base make the rest of the routine safer. Those changes can usually be made in as little as one day.
It depends on how the person bathes and moves. A walk in tub suits someone who wants a seated soak and can step through a low door; a low threshold walk in shower suits someone who prefers a quick routine. Typical Bath Planet installed ranges are $14,000 to $20,000 for a walk in tub and $15,000 to $24,000 for a low step walk in shower, the same across Arkansas.
Grab bars must be anchored to structure that can hold a person's full weight, which means wall framing or blocking or a rated anchoring system, never a towel bar mount. That is why grab bars are best planned with the shower or tub system rather than added later. The CDC authors pointed to grab bars inside and outside the tub or shower as a way to reduce falls.
Census ACS 2023 data show 12.2 percent of Arkansas households are a person 65 or older living alone, and the share reaches 20.7 percent in Hot Springs and 23.4 percent in Hot Springs Village. For someone living alone, a bathroom they can use safely without help matters even more, since there may be nobody nearby after a fall. Plan the change before it is urgent.
Original Medicare does not pay for a walk in tub or a new shower, and the CMS equipment list marks bathtub seats, lifts and grab bars as not primarily medical. Some Medicare Advantage plans offer bathroom safety devices as a supplemental benefit. Arkansas ARChoices and the VA HISA grant can pay for qualifying adaptations when they are approved before the work. Ask each program for a written answer before you schedule an install.
The best aging in place bath solutions are a low threshold walk in shower, a tub to shower conversion, or a walk in tub, and the first two can be installed in as little as one day when they fit the existing space. According to Census American Community Survey 2019 to 2023 estimates, 26.4 percent of Arkansans 65 and older have an ambulatory difficulty, and 12.2 percent of Arkansas households are people 65 or older living alone, so a bath that stays usable without help matters. Under the ADA Standards, grab bars sit 33 to 36 inches above the floor and a shower seat is 17 to 19 inches high. Mobility moves a buyer between tiers: someone who struggles to step over a tub wall usually needs a walk in shower, while someone who wants to sit and soak may prefer a walk in tub. Plumbing moves, wall condition, and bathroom size change the scope, and Bath Planet of Arkansas offers a free in home design consultation.
The best bath or shower update for aging in place is usually a low threshold walk in shower with a built in seat, blocking for grab bars and a handheld shower, which can be installed in as little as one day when it fits the existing space. The need is real: according to Census American Community Survey 2019 to 2023 estimates, 26.4 percent of Arkansans 65 and older have an ambulatory difficulty, and 12.2 percent of Arkansas households are people 65 and older living alone, so a fall in the bath may go unnoticed. A walk in tub suits people who want to soak, while a tub to shower conversion suits most others. What moves the project between tiers is scope: relocating the drain, widening a doorway, changing the floor, adding a seat, and choosing wall material all change the work. A short install also matters, since a bath out of service for weeks is a burden. The install team can confirm fit at a free in home design consultation, and the acrylic carries a Bath Planet limited lifetime warranty, with installation backed by Bath Planet of Arkansas.
An ADA compliant bath or shower follows the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, which call for a 60 inch turning circle, a door opening at least 32 inches wide, and grab bars mounted 33 to 36 inches above the floor. Those standards legally apply to public and commercial spaces, so in a private Arkansas home they work as a design guide rather than a requirement. According to the same standards, toilet seats sit 17 to 19 inches high and grab bars belong 33 to 36 inches above the floor. Scope is what changes the project. Converting a tub to a walk in shower is a smaller job than widening a doorway or moving plumbing to create turning space, and grab bar placement depends on the framing behind the wall. A tub to shower conversion can be installed in as little as one day when it fits the existing space. Bath Planet of Arkansas offers a free in home design consultation for accessible baths.
A safe bathroom for seniors has a low threshold entry, grab bars mounted 33 to 36 inches above the floor, a built in seat, and slip resistant surfaces. The 33 to 36 inch grab bar height comes from the ADA Standards for Accessible Design, which also call for at least 32 inches of clear doorway width where a walker or wheelchair must pass. The need is real: Census American Community Survey 2019 to 2023 estimates show 17.3 percent of Arkansans are 65 and older, and 26.4 percent of them have an ambulatory difficulty. What moves the scope is the starting point. Adding grab bars and a seat is a small job, replacing a tub with a walk in shower or walk in tub is larger, and widening a doorway or relocating plumbing adds work and time. Many of these changes can be installed in as little as one day when they fit the existing space. Bath Planet of Arkansas offers a free in home design consultation for accessible and aging in place baths.
A low threshold walk in shower with a built in seat, grab bars and a handheld shower head works for most people with limited mobility, and it can be installed in as little as one day when it fits the existing space. The standard low threshold on a Bath Planet of Arkansas walk in shower is easy to step over, and the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design place grab bars 33 to 36 inches above the floor. What changes the plan is the mobility aid: a walker or cane usually needs a seat and bars. If someone in the home uses a walker or wheelchair, talk with a designer about your needs at the free in home consultation. Converting a tub to a shower adds plumbing and layout work compared with replacing an existing shower in the same footprint. Wall material and the number of grab bars also move the scope. Bath Planet of Arkansas offers a free in home design consultation to match the layout to your needs.
Free in home design consultation, a written price, and an install that usually takes one day. Showrooms in Hot Springs and Little Rock.
Book My Free Consultation →or call (501) 760-5901