Senior Living Blog

A steamy bath is among the simple pleasures in life, especially for those with chronic pain or musculoskeletal conditions. A wheelchair access bathroom with a walk-in bathtub are particularly suited for elderly individuals and those with physical challenges or limited mobility. Handicap walk-in bath tubs allow the people you love to bathe independently and with dignity. Sustaining independent habits can help elderly people maintain self-esteem, which has been shown to be a key element in maintaining overall health. A walk in tub features simple access for those who can’t easily climb into a conventional tub.

The anxieties that accompany age or the onset of a physically challenging health condition are numerous, and the addition of a walk-in bathtub will help elderly and handicapped people feel safer with daily bathing. In addition, this type of tub prevents family members or personal care from straining their backs helping someone into a regular tub.

There are several ways to address bathing needs, from a simple shower stool to putting in grab bars in an existing shower, to installing an entire handicap shower.

The first question which needs to be addressed is that of how much mobility does the user have?  Can they stand independently?

Handicap bathroom design includes the following features. The sides of a walk-in tub are contoured to furnish arm support and help balance when sitting upright in the tub. Handicap bathroom shower units should have a nonslip surface on the floor and seat, and handheld shower spray.

Additional features can include a whirlpool to aid with circulatory problems, arthritis, and sore muscles, an adjustable scald-prevention guard which lets the user to set a maximum water temperature to prevent accidental burning. The temperature control knobs are usually much easier to manipulate than those in a conventional shower or tub, with less guesswork involved in arriving at a comfortable temperature.

With a walk in bathtub, the user does not have to step up over the brim of the tub.  All they have to do is open the lid, and close the door (which typically fastens). The walk in doors possess a watertight seal.One advantage over conventional bathtubs, walk in bathtubs can be filled up to chest height.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at 10:03 pm and is filed under Caring for the Elderly. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.