Ageing is a natural process, and with age, the joints and the muscles weaken with time. It becomes difficult for the elderly to do their daily chores. It is because their mobility is hampered because of their age. It is one thing that prevents them from doing their work.
Limited mobility causes the most number of falls and injuries in the elderly. And the bathroom is one such place where the risk of falling increases. It is because it has wet floors and has almost no support or grip to hold on to. Therefore, places like bathrooms need extra accessories and aids to make the elderly feel more comfortable and secure so that it does not lead them to severe injuries and falls.
However, there are a lot of options to prevent such accidents. You can start by using shower seats or chairs for your elderly, which helps them maintain proper balance, even on the slippery floor. It makes the bathroom easy and safer to use. Read further to know more about how different shower chairs are helpful for the elderly.
- Transfer Bench:
A transfer bench is one of the best options for elderly people. It has two rubber legs that are longer and are placed outside of the tub. The other pair of legs are placed inside the tub, which is shorter in length. This makes the movement of moving in and out of the tub easy for them. Thus, it provides safety while using the bathtub. The user does not come in direct contact with a wet floor, making it more secure to use.
- Fold-Down Shower Chair:
A fold-down shower chair comes with a backrest. The best part about these chairs is that they can be mounted on the bathroom wall. It is one of the extensively used bathroom aids worldwide. Since it is attached to the wall, it provides more excellent stability and does not allow its legs to move or shake because of the weight of the elderly. And it is not a space waster either; you can fold it when not in use, creating less chaos. If you want to use it, you just need to pull it down and enhance your bathing experience. Also, rusting is not an issue as there is no water logging into the chair, as it has a water draining capacity. You can install it with a handgrip to provide additional support to your elderly through the grip to hold while sitting down or standing up.
- Standard Shower Chair:
A standard shower chair has a shower seat with aluminium legs and rubberised feet. It is a widely used shower chair with hand grips, back support, and a wide and comfortable seat to sit. It provides full-body support while taking a bath and helps maintain the hygiene levels of the elderly. These stable chairs can be modified according to the user. You can customise it based on their medical condition. So, this way, you can attach a backrest and armrest if not needed.
- Shower Commode Chair:
A shower commode chair is an open seat and can be used in both the shower and the toilet. It is one of the best options for people having difficulty standing for a longer duration of time. Because of age eleven, 10 minutes can be a longer duration. So, to make their shower rooms and the toilet trips safer, this is used. You can customise it with wheels attached to the end, making transferring easy for the elderly.
These chairs help maintain and improve the hygiene levels of the elderly, providing them with the comfort and needs of the elderly. This aid makes walking from the toilet and showers easy even with wet floors, as there is no direct contact between the feet, the body, and the wet floor. Therefore, reducing the chances of a bad fall.
Conclusion:
As a caretaker, you must ensure that your elderly face no challenges, whether taking a shower or using a toilet. As a caretaker, it is your duty to help them out in every way possible with mobility and bathroom aids. It would help if you made it elderly-friendly so that it is secure and convenient for them to use. You need to ensure that your elderly are comfortable using it, which is also beneficial for their medical condition. And as a caretaker, you need to decide for them.
