Shower Benches

Due to my deteriorating knees and hips, mobility has become a major issue for me. I don’t experience any pain, but the simple act of standing up or getting into the car can be a burden. To that end, I have invested in several tools to make these tasks easier.

My wife and I love to travel, however, so I’ve had to develop ways to maintain my mobility on the road. Thanks to the internet, it is much easier to arrange for wheelchairs and ensure there is some sort of handicap access at various facilities. Of course, I have also sought out products to use away from home, such as a folding shower chair to help me get in and out of the shower without incident.

Hardly anyone has a palatial bathroom like you see on television. A cramped bathroom can really present a problem to someone with a mobility issue. There are many bath safety products created with small spaces in mind.

The Snap-N-Save Sliding Tub Mount Transfer Bench w/Swivel Seat is a perfect example of a design for smaller bathrooms. While a traditional transfer bench has legs both inside and outside the tub, the Snap-N-Save clamps directly to the side of the tub. No legs extend into the walkway. Not only space saving, this transfer bench eliminates a potential tripping hazard as well.

Shower stools are also perfect for a small bath. Most of these lightweight stools weigh less than a gallon of milk and are easily moved by children, adults, and senior citizens. Shower stools fit conveniently in a tub enclosure or in a shower stall.

Shower chairs come in many portable designs that can be folded for storage. When the shower chair is folded and stored in a linen closet or under the bed, it is not taking up valuable space in the bathroom. Folding these shower chairs also makes them less awkward to remove from the bathroom, enabling their transport with less worry of scratching the walls and doors.

Don’t shy away from safety just because your bathroom is small, there are many options to make your bathroom fit for a king!

You don’t need to be a senior citizen to benefit from a shower chair. There are many everyday health issues that can merit use of a shower chair at a much younger age.

 Pregnancy is a great example of a time when a shower chair will benefit a younger individual. As the baby grows a woman’s center of gravity changes, causing someone who is normally surefooted to become not quite as stable. Toward the end of pregnancy, women will have gained at least twenty five pounds, and simply need to rest more often. This is a great time to start developing the multi-tasking skills that all mothers need and rest while getting clean! A shower chair can also enable a mother-to-be to shave her legs unassisted.

 Injury is another example of why younger people might need a shower chair. Being in a cast definitely limits the time someone is able to stand in the shower. While seated, it is possible to take care of hygiene while positioning the cast away from the water flow.

 People with chronic back pain can also benefit from the use of a shower chair with no worries of slipping during the shower and aggravating their back problem. The availability of a back rest on the shower chair gives the support needed to make the shower much more comfortable. Resting the muscles in the back allows the hot water and steam to loosen the stiffness and increases mobility.

The Carex portable shower bench is an innovative item for bath safety. This shower bench looks like a breakfast tray crafted from molded plastic. It has no legs, but does have rubber stops to help protect the tub from scratches. Able to fit bathtubs from nineteen to twenty eight inches wide, the Carex even has a space to place your soap during your shower.

The best feature of the Carex is its extreme portability. Sized at 31 inches wide and 14 ¼ inches deep, it fits easily in a large suitcase. There are no legs to assemble and disassemble and no foot tips to leave behind at the hotel. The thirty one inch wide seat also means that the seat is substantial and very comfortable. There are even holes in the seat bottom to prevent water pooling under you as you shower.

The Carex portable shower bench has a hardy weight capacity of three hundred pounds and is easy to store in a linen closet or under the bed after use. There are few metal parts which almost eliminates the worry of rust. The Carex is a great way to make your shower safer.

We’ve all received the bill after a hospital stay and seen the $8.00 charge for an aspirin. It seems that nearly everything associated with health and well-being also comes with a healthy price tag as well. It doesn’t cost a fortune to make your bathroom safer using high quality hospital grade shower chairs, tub rails, transfer benches, and bath lifts.

 There are many innovative and high quality grab bars available for under fifty dollars. Grab bars are available to meet every size requirement and are also available in configurations to accommodate even the most unusual space.

 Tub rails are also available at a reasonable price and provide the security for a slow, controlled descent into the tub, and the leverage for a safe exit from the tub. Bath lifts are pricy but well worth the money for folks who love the tub but have more severe mobility issues. There are bath lift styles to fit most budgets.

 Shower chairs, shower stools, and shower benches are perhaps the best bargain available for bath safety. With most models priced less than one hundred dollars, and many less than fifty dollars, these shower seats are the ultimate bargain for a safe bath.

For the last few years my parents’ health has been deteriorating rapidly, so my wife and I recently helped them move into our house. This allows us to assist them with many of the daily tasks that had become a burden, such as cooking food and cleaning the house. In order to provide them the highest level of comfort, I took the liberty of outfitting our home with several products to improve their mobility.

First, I installed a ramp by the front door so that my mom could gain easy access with her walker. The bathroom is obviously a trouble area for people with mobility issues, so I installed several grab bars and padded all of the sharp corners. I even purchased a couple of transfer benches, allowing them to safely and easily get in and out of the shower without assistance.

Upon a visit to your parents’ house, you realize that they are becoming frailer. You bring up the idea of purchasing some bath safety items to keep them safer. You suggest the installation of grab bars, and they reply that if they are going to slip they can just grab onto the towel rack. This is like comparing apples to oranges.

 A towel rack was not built to be used as a grab bar. Towel racks were designed to hold towels—just a pound or two of weight at the most. Towel racks are also rarely placed where they could be most beneficial to a slipping person—mounted on the wall behind the toilet or on the wall across from the tub. The fall would happen before anyone could reach towel bars in these locations.

 Grab bars are a must for a safer bathroom. They are designed specifically to make entering and exiting the shower easier. They can be mounted anywhere—some styles are even tool-free and do not leave any holes in the wall. Grab bars are offered in many styles, lengths, textures, and are made to handle the weight of a falling person. It is easy to make your bathroom safer with a new grab bar.

Transfer benches provide a safe means of exiting a wheelchair and getting in the shower. By sliding across the padded seat, you can actually get from wheelchair to shower without standing. Some transfer benches even come with a built-in toilet seat. There are several advantages to the purchase of a combination transfer bench and toilet.

By implementing the transfer bench/toilet combination in your bath safety routine, you are eliminating the need for two separate pieces–this will save not only money, but space. Transfer benches are relatively large and do not normally breakdown for easy storage. Adding a separate toilet chair doubles the space requirements.

The transfer bench/toilet combination also makes for easier access to the private parts for cleaning. It is not necessary to rise from the bench to have a caretaker wash these areas as they are now accessible through the toilet hole.

The final advantage is being able to safely transfer from the wheelchair to the toilet part of the bench and use the toilet. Most traditional bathroom designs just do not have the area around the toilet needed to accommodate a wheelchair transfer. A transfer bench/toilet combination is a great way to respond to all of your bathroom needs.

When I think of high quality materials for use in the bathroom, I think of marble, granite, and natural wood. The use of wood in the bathroom serves to warm up a room filled with cold, hard surfaces.

 Teak is a wonderful wood for use in the bath. Grown predominately on plantations in the Southeast Asia countries of Thailand and Bangladesh, this yellow-brown hardwood is ideal for use in the elements. The natural oils make teak extremely weather and termite resistant. You’ll often find teak used for boat decks, outdoor furniture, and cutting boards. Luxury yacht makers often use teak for their yacht fittings. Recently, shower benches have been added to the items crafted from teak.

 Teak shower benches are beautiful, durable, and functional. They offer a wide comfortable seat and sturdy legs. The benefit of the teak shower bench is that when you sit to shower, the seat is not cold like a plastic seat. Teak is also highly mildew resistant and easy to keep clean. Teak also has a very appealing appearance. Its warm tones are a perfect complement for any décor.

 Add a little luxury to your bath with teak.

Recently my older brother fell down the stairs and broke his toe. Normally, the doctor would just tape the toe to the one beside it, and send him on his way, but his injury was not so simple. It required surgery and two screws and a plate for the repair. He is in a cast up to his knee for the next six weeks. He can’t drive or do much of anything. I found myself wondering how he is taking care of his personal hygiene.

We all know that a shower bench is the best way for him to get his shower safely. He can wrap his cast in plastic and angle his body so the spray doesn’t reach his leg.

The main issue his injury brings up is the future need for one floor living. My brother is lucky to have a powder room available on the first floor, but all shower facilities are up those treacherous stairs. I imagine that he is having an incredibly difficult time getting upstairs for his sleeping and showering. A full first floor bath and bedroom would be ideal and would be definitely worth putting on your wish list if you are looking for a new house. The need for one floor living is one of the main reasons why so many seniors downsize into apartments.