What Shower Chairs Can Do for the Elderly and Disabled
People with physical disabilities often don’t consider the bathroom as a very friendly place. That’s because they’re afraid of slipping and falling in the bathroom, especially since they no longer have complete control of their motor functions. The shower area is especially challenging to these people because both the floor and the wall can become very slippery as water hits them, and any physically disabled person can feel quite helpless in this kind of environment. They have no choice but to watch out for their every move so as not to end up losing their balance and falling in the shower.
For most disabled individuals, the problem doesn’t just involve difficulties in moving around the shower area; they also find it quite a challenge to stand for a prolonged period. This is true both for those who are disabled due to an injury or medical condition and for the elderly. For this reason, caregiver assistance is often required to ensure the safety of physically challenged individuals in the shower. However, it can be more than a little embarrassing to have someone else with you in a place as intimate and private as the bathroom. Perhaps a better option for these individuals is a bathroom device to keep them balanced and secure yet mobile enough to handle bathing on their own. They need something to assure them they won’t slip or fall as they move within the confines of the shower area.
There are hand rails you can install on the bathroom wall for people to hold on to while taking a bath, but not all people have enough strength to keep holding on to these rails until they’re done bathing. Having to hold on to something for the duration of a bath also makes the process more difficult. The best solution for physically challenged people is a shower chair. After all, this chair is specifically designed for the use of people with physical disabilities. They’re made from durable waterproof material and some models even come with wheels for more convenience.
Now you might wonder if you can’t just sit on your wheelchair when bathing. Well, the problem with wheelchairs is they’re not entirely waterproof and rustproof. So, it’s still better to simply transfer from your wheelchair to a shower chair when you need to bathe. Now, you no longer have to worry about slipping and falling in the shower area. You can just sit comfortably in your shower chair and even take longer baths, relaxed with the assurance you won’t fall and hurt yourself in the process.
Shower chairs come in a wide variety of designs and you can choose one depending on your preferences, taking into consideration the nature and extent of your disability, of course. If your disability isn’t really that extensive, you can choose shower chairs of the standard design without wheels. These chairs have suction cups or rubber stoppers at the tips of the legs to keep the chair in place and prevent it from slipping and sliding on the floor while you bathe.
Ed Delaney has used a shower chair to help him shower in safety. To learn more about shower chairs please visit: http://ShowerChairsuk.co.uk
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