Need To Know About Special Needs Bathing
Tuesday, January 20th, 2009Relaxing in a bath at the end of a long and hard day, whether with a book or your own thoughts, is a wonderful idea. However, if you have a disability- whether through an illness, old age or an accident- then taking a bath or a shower could provide you with a problem. Climbing into the bath itself would be difficult enough, but then lowering yourself into the water or getting yourself out of the bath. There is a whole range of bathing supplies out there for you to browse as and when you need them.
The extensive range of bathing products available means that there is guaranteed to be the perfect solution for you. Depending on whether you are looking for disabled showers, baths or a combined systems, you can choose by what would best suit your abilities. As an example, if you suffer from arthritis, you may choose a walk-in bath that allows you to sit at a comfortable height. An alternative choice would be a bath that has an adjustable or motorised seat- you can sit on the seat before turning into the bath and gently lowering yourself into the water.
For wheelchair users, it is possible to turn a whole bathroom into a shower, so you could transfer into a bathing chair, or remain in your wheelchair, but it would give you another level of independence that regular bathing fixtures do not offer. Special needs bathing equipment is designed to give a level of independence.
It is possible to choose from all of the solutions available, or just have one custom designed to suit all of your requirements. The solutions will only be effective if they cater to your needs, so choose wisely.
In some cases a special needs bather, and also able-bodied users may use the bath. This is true especially in hotels, when disability regulations are compelling hotel owners to equip a certain number of bathrooms for disabled bathing.
A few examples of easy-access apparatus are outlined below. They describe the various ways of getting in and out of the bath.
Manual Traverse
This relies on the physical effort of the bather or a carer to rotate the seat over the bath. For someone with regular upper-body strength, the effort required is small, but may be too much for some disabilities.
Power Traverse
A fully powered seat rotates the bather clear of the bath. It is ideal for those who have no assistance, and if the bather has limited upper-body strength.
Electro-Hydraulic
This is the most common system used in a special needs bath. The seat is raised and lowered with a hydraulic ram powered by an electric motor.
Water Powered
This system uses mains water pressure to power the seat without the need for any extra electrical systems being required in the bathroom.
Luxury bathing
There is no reason why a special needs bath should not be equipped with a bubbling spa or a whirlpool system. Manny manufacturers don’t offer these as options, but some do and the extra cost is quite small.
Scalding Incidents
Every year, there are many serious scalding incidents in special needs baths. People may run a bath that is too hot, and be unable to get out quickly. In other cases, people may turn on the hot tap while in the bath and then are unable to turn it off.
The scalding incidents are very serious. Special needs baths should be fitted with thermostatic mixing valves- they ensure that the maximum temperature of hot water is limited to a safe level.