Elderly shoppers dread modern toilet flushes and a lack of public loos, Age UK warns

Modern toilet flushes and a lack of public loos are putting elderly people off going shopping, according to an Age UK report. 

The charity is urging retailers to improve their washroom facilities after more than half of respondents to a survey of over 75s said too few loos was a "regular" problem when going out shopping. 

Some older shoppers reported having difficulties using modern push button-style flushes, which they said were trickier to use than traditional handles for people with arthritis or dexterity problems. 

One said: "Some have too narrow a diameter, with a deep recess and my crooked fingers can’t get in. Some require too strong a push and my arms and hands are no longer powerful enough."

Another added: "If those facilities are there, customers go back again and again. But there aren’t that many around, so your choice gets limited to going out for a couple of hours or not going out at all." 

In some cases, getting a key or pass code or finding the toilets present extra difficulties, the charity said. One respondent said toilets can be difficult to locate and so should be better signposted. 

About half of respondents also cited a lack of seating in shops as problematic.  The number of people aged 65 and over is projected to rise by over 40 per cent in the next 17 years, to over 16 million.

A spokesman at the British Retail Consortium, which represents shops, said: “Our members work hard to ensure their stores are as accessible as possible and have members of staff on hand to provide any additional assistance if required.  

"Unfortunately retailers can be restricted on what reasonable adjustments can be made due to the age or design of a building but will have other policies in place to help access to that service."