Handicapped Bathrooms Are Badly Designed

Handicapped bathrooms in hotels I have stayed at since my stroke are poorly designed.  

The most common error is placing the towel rack on a wall ten feet away from the tub.  It may be dangerous for a companion to turn his or her back on a disabled person and walk across the room to retrieve a towel.  I solve this problem by dragging the luggage rack into the bathroom.  I place my towel and bathrobe on the rack where I can reach them while sitting on my folding shower stool.  In a regular room I place my towel and robe on the lid of the toilet seat which is often super close to the tub. In a handicpped bethroom the toilet is far from the tub to make room for a wheelchair.

I ran into two unique problems at one hotel.
1) The shower curtain was so short and hung on a rod that was so far away from the edge of the tub I could see a speckled beige bathroom tile floor when I looked down.  A wet floor is a Fall Hazard.  Before I got in the tub I put a bath towel on the floor to soak up the water that fell through this gap as I showered.  A cheap solution is to purchase longer shower curtains that can be tucked inside the bathtub.

2) When I detached the shower hose to use in sitting, I had to turn off the water while soaping up because letting the nozzle hang free let it point outwards to spray water on the floor (photo on left).  A wet floor is a Fall Hazard.  

These negative experiences taught me to stop asking for a handicapped bathroom when I travel.  homeafterstroke.blogspot.com