Shower Benches

Thirty years ago when you built your home, you were in the prime of your life—vibrant, carefree, and invincible. At that time you were basing your choices for bathroom design on basic function and the limited budget of someone trying to raise a family. If you knew then the effects of time on your body, you might have sprung for a built-in shower bench. But let’s face it, items like these were simply not implemented in homes then unless a physical handicap necessitated their use.

Fast forward to 2010, and you find yourself in need of extra support in the shower. Maybe you’re waiting for knee or hip surgery and can’t stand for 10 minutes on a slippery shower floor. Perhaps you have vertigo due to an inner ear issue. You definitely don’t have the funds to gut your bathroom and build a shower bench into your shower facility. What do you do??

A portable shower bench is the perfect solution for you. You can be firmly seated during your shower on a bench that is easy to clean and comes in many pleasing designs. Many shower benches fold for easy storage or travel. Imagine feeling just as comfortable in a hotel bathroom as you do at home. A shower bench will create a safe haven in any bathroom without breaking the bank.

When my mother fell down the stairs and broke her hip, everyone in the family was worried about how she would manage in the hospital. She has always been an active lady, and the prospect of lying down in bed for an extended period of time just didn’t seem like a viable option for her. During her stay in the hospital, we all took measures to ensure that her stay was as bearable as possible.

Luckily she took her stint of incapacitation well, and we were all impressed by her optimistic attitude. One of the things that made her stay a little easier was the fact that her room was outfitted with an electric hospital bed. This allowed her to sit up and carry on conversations, as well as watch some of her favorite classic movies. Now that she is back home, we’ve taken measures to make things safer and more accessible, such as adding hand railing throughout the house and purchasing a shower transfer bench for the bathroom.

You love to soak in the tub, but lately you’ve noticed that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to get in to and out of the tub. You’ve researched your options and have narrowed your choices to either a bath lift or a walk-in tub. Which one is right for you?

Walk-in tubs are a great innovation in bath safety, but they have several disadvantages. First, walk-in tubs are expensive. Second, walk-in tubs need to be installed by a plumber or a contractor, which constitutes more expense for labor as well as a time delay waiting for installation. A third disadvantage is that the walk-in tub is only as good as the seal on the door. If the seal malfunctions there would be property damage due to leaking water. Lastly, the installation of a walk-in tub is a permanent renovation to your home. This is not a problem if you own your home and are planning to stay there for a while, but what if you rent? You cannot make renovations like this without violating your lease. What if you need to move in with your family? Now your walk-in tub is still at your house and you can’t soak anyhow!

A bath lift is a great alternative to a walk-in tub. It needs no installation—you can use it immediately. It is less expensive and you can take it with you if you leave your current home. Soaking is a snap with a bath lift!

One shower sticks in my mind as the best I’ve ever had. I was in the hospital after I had my first child. I had been in labor for 16 hours before needing an emergency c-section. The next afternoon, the nurse gave me a sponge bath, but I still felt gross. Finally, nearly 48 hours after my surgery I was allowed to shower! I never appreciated a shower so much. I can still smell the shampoo and feel the total relief of being able to get cleaned up on my own.

For those folks who are confined to bed, the EZ BATHE portable bath tub is a fantastic innovation. This inflatable tub expands to 80”L x 32”W x 10”D to accommodate both adults and children and the tub comes with everything needed to bathe in the comfort of the bedroom: 25 foot reinforced drain hose with on/off valve, 25 foot hose with shower head, shower accessories, and a wet dry vacuum to dry the tub completely before storage.

The EZ Bathe enables a caregiver to bring the bath to his or her patient. By offering the ability to soak or shower, the EZ Bathe is a wonderful way to allow some independence without the worry or transporting the patient to the bathroom.

Anyone who has ever bathed a newborn knows just how difficult and scary it can be. It becomes a balancing act of baby and soap and trying to get them clean. You wish that you had an extra set or two of hands just to stabilize the baby and make him safe, and then you need to worry about the actual bathing. For children with physical handicaps, the prospect of bathing can be even scarier. You are no longer dealing with a seven or eight pound infant, and it becomes impossible for a caregiver to manage bathing the child on her own. Fortunately there is a breakthrough that can allow children up to 100 pounds to bathe safely–a pediatric dolphin chair.

Fitting all standard tubs, the dolphin includes two adjustable positioning belts—one broad belt across the chest and a narrow belt across the thighs for a very secure feeling. A thickly padded head rest offers the utmost in safety, comfort and support. The back support offers ten angle positions including the Trendelberg position (back flat and feet higher than the head). The dolphin’s seat has the capability to tilt in five positions. The seat is also depth adjustable, making the dolphin perfect for just about any bathtub configuration.

The dolphin is composed of a sturdy aluminum frame and a quick-drying mesh fabric cover. The dolphin folds for easy storage and the mesh fabric cover allows for a speedy cleanup after bath time is over.

Use of a shower bench or shower chair is an excellent way to make your shower safer. What’s the difference? Which one is right for you?

Shower benches and shower chairs both offer four legs with rubberized feet to minimize slipping in the shower. Shower benches and shower chairs are made from high quality metals and plastics that make cleaning them a snap.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the shower bench and shower chair is that the shower chair has a back rest. A shower chair enables you to lean back on it for better support and increased relaxation. Many shower chairs also have optional arms available.

Shower benches are great because they are incredibly portable. Many fold for easy transport or storage. Even those that don’t fold are lightweight without giving up the strength necessary to provide a secure seat within the shower.

You really can’t go wrong with either a shower bench or shower chair. In the end, it all boils down to your personal preferences and the space you are looking to make safer. No matter which one you choose, you’ll be sure to create a safe haven to get clean.

The bathroom is the most dangerous room in the house and the location where most accidents happen. This area is particularly hazardous for children and the elderly, who are more prone to slip and fall. Here are some tips to keep your bathroom an accident free zone:

1. Place a rubber floor mat and grab bars outside the shower area to avoid slips and falls.
2. Never leave your small child unsupervised in the bathtub, even for a minute.
3. Make sure any corners near the tub or shower are padded.
4. Wash the shower area frequently to prevent slippery mildew from forming.

Calgon take me away! Everyone thirty and over remembers the commercials fondly. The plot was always the same–a frazzled mom juggles a bag of groceries while answering the phone and refereeing a dispute between her children while the dog nearly knocks her over. She needs to relax so she retires to her bathroom to soak in the tub.

Sometimes we get so caught up in day to day life and the necessity of a bath or shower that we forget about the rejuvenating and restorative powers of water. The warm sudsy water envelopes you and alleviates the stress of your day. The shower spray can pound the stress from your shoulders. Now imagine having a health or mobility issue that makes such relaxation impossible.

There are so many options to enable continued enjoyment of a bath, while making it a safe experience. A bath lift is one way to still soak in the tub without the worry of how you will get back out of the bath. You can raise or lower yourself into the water and feel completely safe. No anxiety or stress–just the ability to independently take care of your hygiene while escaping the real world for a moment.

You know you need a grab bar for a safe bath experience, but you are confused by all of the options available to you. Here are six reasons why a suction cup grab bar may be the right choice for you:

1. No tools are required to mount the bar.

2. Most suction cup grab bars have an indicator to let you know that it is installed properly.

3. Suction cup grab bars can be installed on any smooth surface.

4. No hardware is required, thus no holes in the wall that have to be filled if you move the bar. You don’t have to worry about violating your apartment lease and there will be no need to spackle, sand, and paint the holes before you move.

5. Suction cup grab bars are portable so you can change their location if the placement isn’t quite right the first time. You can also take your grab bar when you travel!

6. There are models that adjust in length and configuration to give you extra support right where you need it. Some suction cup grab bars are even jointed in the middle so they can be mounted at a 90 degree angle for a truly custom application.

A suction cup grab bar is a great addition to your bath safety arsenal.

So you’ve just helped your parents through the sale of your childhood home. They have downsized and possibly moved from a two-story home to a one-story home or apartment. You’ve eliminated the need for them to mow the lawn or rake leaves or shovel snow. You’ve helped them monitor their prescriptions. You’ve removed throw rugs from the floor to reduce the tripping hazard. Now what? How else can you keep them safe?

The bathroom is the most important room in the house to make safer. Grab bars are available to steady your parents on the slippery bathroom floor. There are even bars designed specifically to help someone up off the toilet. A shower bench can give your parents the freedom to bathe independently and not over exert themselves by standing in the shower too long. There are transfer benches to assist them from a wheelchair into the shower and bath mats to make sure that they put a firm foot forward. There are tub rails to stabilize as they rise from the bathtub. Most of these items are portable and inexpensive. Your parents can bring them along when visiting and you don’t have to worry about violating their apartment leases with permanent modifications to the bathroom.

Safety doesn’t have to be complicated or costly. By implementing any or all of the ideas mentioned, you will know that you’ve done your best to keep your parents safe.