For those with limited mobility, the bathroom can be filled with potential hazards. Many aspects of the bathroom require you to sit and stand from low locations, step over high lips and ledges, and move over slippery surfaces while tending to personal hygiene routines. This is why the bathroom is one of the most common areas in the home for senior citizens to experience accidents and injuries.
One way to greatly reduce these hazards, especially in tubs, showers, or shower-tub combos, is to install built-in seating. Here’s how these features could benefit your bathroom.
Reduced Slipping Hazard
When you use a shower stall or shower-tub combo, you know that you’re not just standing there. You’re bending, twisting, reaching, and may even be standing on one leg at some points as you wash your feet or shave your legs. Many people do this without a second thought, but for those with limited mobility, these simple movements are a serious hazard when standing in a slippery shower.
A built-in shower bench allows you to sit safely and securely while you tend to personal hygiene needs, especially those that require you to bend, twist, and reach. This significantly reduces the risk of slipping in the shower.
Increased Comfort
Many people with limited mobility also suffer from persistent aches and pains. Even if they have the ability to stand safely in a shower while tending to their personal hygiene, that doesn’t mean it’s comfortable for them. They may experience leg pain from standing for extend periods, or lower back pain when trying to bend and wash their legs and feet.
Built-in seating features allow you to sit in your shower, which can offer some much-needed comfort if you experience any of these kinds of aches or pains from standing for extended periods. Plus, it offers you the ability to just sit, relax, and enjoy the feeling of a warm shower running over you.
Greater Stability
Now, you might be thinking, “I can get these benefits with a simple shower seat that I can set wherever I need it.” While this might be true, these more temporary, portable options don’t offer the same level of stability as built-in seating features.
If you’re using the shower and try to sit on a movable shower seat, you could bump it by mistake, which may cause it to scoot away from you and lead to an unfortunate fall. Additionally, these kinds of bathroom seating options are far less sturdy, so they’ll be more likely to break. While a portable shower seat might offer you the other benefits mentioned above, it simply won’t provide you with the same level of durability and stability as installing a well-crafted, built-in shower seat.
If you’re looking to add a stable, reliable seating feature to your tubs and showers, give Safe Step Tub a call. With products made in the USA, we’ll help you to determine the best option for your space and your needs, and provide the expert handiwork and high-quality customer service that you deserve.
