In terms of safety, shower curtain or shower door?

I would say the bigger question lies therein of does  the shower have grab bars? That is an absolute necessity...think falls. On the issue of a shower curtain as opposed to a door, I would choose the door. The shower curtain is a definite fall risk, since the elder will grab onto the shower curtain and will fall, pulling the curtain down to the ground with them!

I switched from a glass door to a curtain since it was easier for me to monitor my Husband while he was in the shower and it was easier for me to help him if help was needed.
The other concern I had was that he might use the handle on the door as support. I also removed the towel bar right next to the shower entrance as I saw him try to use that as a grab bar.
I removed the door and stored it in a closet for the time when I could put it back on.
Hung the shower curtain.
Made it part of the routine that when He would go into the shower he would use his walker to get to the shower then I would move it until he was done then place it where he could grab onto that when he exited the shower.
When He became a little more unstable I/we switched to a bathroom down the hall from the Master, this bathroom was built for handicap use, roll in shower, grab bars in the shower (I did add a few more in that bathroom though) This is the shower he used from then on first with using a walker in the shower (great resale shops, inexpensive walkers that he used in the shower, I would toss them when they became rusty) then eventually a shower wheelchair.

If there is a way that you can have a shower put in with no threshold that would be great. Will save some worry and the ease of getting in and out is so worth it!!

When we remodeled a bathroom a about 15 years ago we took out a shower that was a walk-in with the entry door on the narrow end farthest away from the shower head. That had annoyed me for years--reach in, turn on the water, jump back to keep from getting doused with cold water, wait for it to warm and hope I'd gotten the temp right. We put in fiberglass shower unit that was bathtub shaped, had molded seats on both corners, sliding doors on the wide side so you could easily get in and out, and a hand-held "telephone" shower head that could also be hung in a bracket like a fixed head. With a sliding door open we had good access to either the sprayer side or the far end. Loved that! Hated to leave it when we sold the house a couple of years ago. Now at my daughters there is a tub with a curtain, which is OK except that I make sure to have a good non-slip mat in it.

Daughterof1930, I had that concern (sitting there cold) with walk-in tubs. A friend installed one and was wildly enthusiastic about it. Don't you get cold? No. I go in with a towel around my shoulders. The tub fills and drains faster than a normal tub. Hmm. A little later Coy saw advertisements and asked if we could get one. He loved bathes to the end. I got one with water jets. Very, very nice. Only wish I'd done it a few years earlier.

You can have a regular tub converted by installing a door. Useless. Don't waste your money. The huge value of a real walk-in tub is not only the door, but also that you sit as in a chair.

Daughterof1930, I never thought about sitting there cold while the water filled the tub. Makes sense, Thank you so much for this input. I have ruled this type of tub out.

Sounds like you found a good solution.

We had a tub/shower combination. Before scheduling my DH's hip replacement, we decided it was a good time to gut and redo the bathroom with a view toward greater safety and access as we age in place.

The tub came out. In the same footprint we had a tiled, curbless shower put in. We installed grab bars on all 3 walls of the niche-- a vertical one near the "exit", a diagonal one on the back wall and a horizontal one on the 3rd wall, where we hang the bath mat when not in use.

I decided to go with a shower curtain instead of a door-- I have a cloth curtain with a clear plastic liner. This arrangement allows for maximum access for caregivers, makes it easy to roll in a shower chair (if it ever becomes necessary), and leaves lots of room to move a wheelchair into position to transfer on/off the toilet, should that be necessary someday. (I remember how hard it was to transfer my late mother to and from the toilet when she used to visit us, even using a travel wheelchair-- there just wasn't enough room to maneuver.)

Thanks for the responses everybody.

Re privacy. It's not a matter of privacy since the shower is in a bathroom with a door. I decided to go with a clear shower curtain. Not only is it brighter in there but it's clear to my dad that it's not a wall or door anymore so hopefully he won't be tempted to lean against it.

Re tub or shower. I neglected to say that it's a walk in shower.

I've had a shower seat in there for a couple of years but no one uses it. My dad is still fit so has no need. My mom doesn't because she doesn't shower much. That's why we are trying the home attendant to help her.

Dad says he never even leans on the doors so it's not a problem. I further addressed this by putting in a bar that fits across the entryway after he's in there. He just has to swing it into place. So it's basically a handrail that's in place where the doors once were. But can be left aside for when the attendant comes.

My mother not only ended up removing the doors from the tub/shower in her main bathroom she also removed the one on the stall shower in her 2nd bath. As she aged she was afraid of falling and going through the door plus it became harder for her to clean with the sliding doors on the tub.

It is possible to have a door and a curtain?

I am 80 years old and still take tub baths, which I love...for me there is nothing more relaxing and it really helps when I have one of my frequent gas pains. But no question that, even with grab bars, it is getting harder to get up and out of! I often wonder what will be the precipitating event that makes me give up tub baths.

Regardless of either - you need Support Bars.

We had to convert our small tub into a walk-in shower and I had the carpenter put supports to handle support rails that had to be installed through the shower walls. We have 2 bars inside the shower, 1 just outside the shower and 2 by the sink, one on top of the sink cabinet and another through the door when in an open position.

After he fell inside the bathroom and against the closed door - we now block the door open and have the bar for safety. As it's just the 2 of us living here, it's not a problem. If we have company, I can always hang a sheet over the open door. So far not needed.

So again, I think the bars are more important than curtain vs door in the tub/shower.

It shouldn't matter about what is easier for the person coming in to shower your mother - it's more important to take care of the safety issues for your parents.

We converted my dad’s bathtub/shower to a walk-in shower. Took out the tub entirely, he’d never used it as a bath anyway, and he now has a walk-in shower with full length doors and a seat. There are also very sturdy grab bars. He’d heard negative stories from other seniors about the advertised walk-in tubs that have a door, that you have to go in unclothed, sit there cold while it fills, bathe, then sit there cold while it drains to be able to open the door to exit, ugh! He’s done well since we changed to the walk-in shower

Although using grab bars is the safest way to shower, I had to wear a knee brace for a while after blowing out my patella tendon.  Our shower stall wasn't easily set up with any, so I just took a walker in with me, facing the back. Instant support!

CM, or I could just switch to using the walk-in tub. :D

I'm so keen on grab bars because I scared the bejasus out of myself not long after I moved into my current home, living alone for the first time in years, when I slipped in the unfamiliar tub and my life flashed before my eyes. Had a good stout grab bar fitted by a competent handyman the next day. I am even conscientious about using it, except on really devil-may-care spring mornings. Please get yours moved, Jeanne!😰

I'm still in my 50s and use the grab bars in the stall shower -
If it is a tub shower then you might consider a curtain with a transfer bench
At some point, they're not going to be able to lift their legs over the tub

Jeanne, you can put a grab bar vertically at the shower entrance, even one on each side of the "door". Those are great for those using a tub too, they give you something to steady yourself when you step in and out.

My husband used a walk-in tub so we didn't deal with this issue for him. I'm 72 and pretty much still in my right mind, but not as steady as I used to be. I had the door taken off the small shower stall I use, and placed a clear curtain up to contain the water. As I hoped, this gave me more light and made the small space less claustrophobic. But I'm considering putting it back because I've lost my balance a few times, and reaching out for the door didn't help!

I agree with MsMouse that grab bars are critical, but I'm usually facing the door when I shower and the grab bars that were good for my husband are behind me.

Does your mother use a shower bench? That seems safest to me. Your father might even like it, or it can easily be taken out for him. I had a health crisis that left me very weak for a few months, and I used a shower bench then. I thought it was awesome!

Sorry because I know this isn't the question, but the door/curtain debate doesn't matter compared to having REALLY good, well-placed, firmly-fixed grab handles - I'd be inclined to get rid of both and not have anything cluttering up the space.

I understand privacy is still a key priority for your father, though. Can he not have the bathroom all to himself when he's showering?

needtowashhair, I have a bathtub shower where I had placed sliding safety glass doors. Now that I am older, I wished I never did. A royal pain to try to clean the bathtub as for one side there is a toilet in the way, and I don't have the flexibly I once had :P Plus so uncomfortable to sit on the edge of the tub unless there is a pad under the person.

And I am finding for myself I am starting to get a bit claustrophobic with the doors closed, so I need to keep one slider open a couple of feet.

Methink, and I could be incorrect, if enough weight is placed on a slider door, it could shatter.

It depends on how the door is installed, if they are using it instead of a grab bar would it take their weight or come crashing down?
One other thought, once they need help in the shower it is much easier for the caregiver to manoeuvre with a curtain.