Friday, July 23, 2010

What Are Handicap Accessible Bathrooms? Options that do not require remodeling.

Bathroom Safety for the Disabled

Making a shower handicap friendly

Handicapped individuals usually quickly learn how to cope with their new circumstances and adapt their handicap to their daily lives. However, one of the most difficult adaptations is daily bathing. Often daily bathing requires dependence upon another person for assistance. Nobody likes to lose their dignity, even the physically impaired. Unfortunately life circumstances have made it so that handicapped individuals find that they have to compromise with their dignity.

Shower areas are commonly constructed for use by people without physical impairments. Future possible handicaps are not planned into construction. Therefore, many people who become physically impaired find a need to remodel their showers to make them more handicap friendly. This involves removing any uneven surface and leveling the floor of the bathroom as well as shower area. Remodeling also involves installing grab bars at transition locations like the shower, bath, and commode. A shower seat or bath stool is also an important upgrade. The grab bars assist the handicap person to safely get into the shower or bath or transition to a sitting on the commode or back to a standing position. A shower chair or bath stool allows the individual to bathe without requiring help from another human being. Portable Wheeled Bedside Commode with Upholstered Drop Arms by Drive


Showers and bath issues with the handicapped

Regular showers generally have their floor slightly elevated from the bathroom floor so as to stop water from entering the rest of the area. In case of bathrooms with bathtubs, it becomes almost impossible for a handicapped person to enter the shower area. For this purpose, a specially designed lift has to be made which will lower the handicapped into the tub. Again, these modifications are costly and not very effective. The doors to shower areas prove another major hassle. How will a handicapped person get up from the chair and open the door? A common solution is to remove the door to the shower area. Floors should be changed to an anti-skid type to facilitate the safe usage of wheelchairs.


Alternatives to remodeling

Carex Grab Bar Although it is a logical choice to remodel a bathroom for handicap use, it can be very expensive. Most people opt for less expensive alternatives to remodeling. For example, mobile showers are a preferred choice all over the world. These showers can be placed anywhere in the house and do not require a plumber to fix them up. They are easily accessible by a handicapped person by themselves and have proven to be a great alternative to expensive remodeling. Toilets can be improved for the handicap or disabled by raising the seat. Installing bars around the toilet and bringing racks down to their eye level will increase accessibility.


The different types of portable showers available

There are portable showers with a large bathing area to accommodate wheelchairs. This will allow a handicap to take a shower without leaving the safety of a wheel chair. This kind of a shower has a small inclination ramp to facilitate the movement of the wheelchair into the shower area and to prevent it from sliding off. Once in place, the wheelchair can be locked into position, providing another layer of safety. In this shower a hand held showerhead is provided for easy of use in bathing. Similarly for a handicapped person who can stand, there are portable showers which are tall and have bars to which the person can hold on to while taking a shower. These showers are a less expensive alternative to remodeling and can also be used anywhere. The fact that they are portable helps the disabled person take it along wherever they travel.

Other alternatives
Invacare Transfer Bench
If a portable shower is not right for you, consider using a handicap oriented bathtub. These tubs have a lift to provide a platform to get into the tub. Bathtubs specifically designed for the handicap are pricey but they facilitate the full use of the bathtub. Every detail to making it easier for bathing is taken into account. All racks and mirrors should be lowered to sitting level. Making these additions will be cheap and make the bathroom handicap friendly.

Where can I buy portable handicap showers and other accessories?

Vitality Medical carries many bathroom accessibility items to help people who are disabled or handicapped. Their web pages include foldable seats, grab bars, shower commodes and various sizes of portable showers. Making a shower area handicap friendly does not have to be expensive. Vitality Medical has a no restocking fee policy which basically means that if you are not satisfied with your purchase then you can return the product and receive a full refund without extra fees.

1 comment:

Universal Designs said...

Hi,

Nice blog! There is a lot to consider when planning a bathroom for a disable a person. A proper handicap bathroom design will often allow a disabled individual to bathe without the assistance of another person. Thank you...