For many seniors, aging in the home offers the best residential arrangement through their golden years. It allows senior citizens to maintain a degree of independence while enjoying the comforts of a familiar setting filled with memories. However, though aging at home is a preferable circumstance for many, there are some aspects of the practice that can be problematic, especially for those with restricted mobility. One tool that can help instill confident independence and improve safety for those aging at home is the Safe Step Walk-In Tub.
Walk-in tubs offer many safety features that remove some of the risks for seniors living with limited mobility. They’re not only safer for those aging at home, but they also provide some convenient benefits that shouldn’t be overlooked. If you or a loved one are developing a plan to embrace aging at home, consider the many benefits of investing in a walk-in bathtub. Keep reading to learn more about some of those benefits and how you can leverage them into a safer, more convenient aging at home experience.
Helps with Limited Mobility
As the name would indicate, one of the things that separate walk-in tubs from standard tubs is the presence of a waterproof door in the tub sidewall. That door prevents users from stepping over the tall sidewall of a conventional bathtub, a movement which can be difficult and dangerous for those with compromised mobility. The door allows easy entry into the tub; the height that a user must step up into a walk-in tub is only a matter of inches. Some walk-in tubs even have features that make them accessible for wheelchair and walker users.
Hydrotherapy Options
Hydrotherapy, or the use of water to warm and massage the body, can be beneficial for those who are mobility restricted. It can also benefit those who suffer from body aches and pains, providing an efficient, enjoyable path to relief. Many walk-in tubs can be configured to utilize air or water jet therapy to users, which stimulates the body’s natural pain reduction hormones known as endorphins. Hydrotherapy can benefit those who suffer from arthritis, poor circulation, neuropathy, or fibromyalgia, but it can also be used just to soothe the general aches and pains that are associated with aging.
Improved Safety
For seniors who live with reduced mobility, the bathroom can be the most dangerous room in the home. The lack of handholds, as well as the presence of high tub walls and slippery surfaces, can create multiple opportunities for slip and fall accidents that can result in severe injury for seniors. Stepping over a tub wall requires balance and dexterity, and it’s easy to fall while shifting one’s weight while standing on one leg. For seniors, falls can be debilitating because they result in broken bones. The cost of those injuries can be high not only in terms of medical care but also in lost future mobility and independence. Walk-in tubs can dramatically reduce the risk of falls, as well as subsequent injuries and medical care. Many walk-in tubs also have built-in safety features, such as handholds and seating, incorporated into the tub. Those features allow users to maneuver safely in the tub or shower and bathe while sitting down to alleviate risks caused by poor balance.
More Convenient Hygiene
Because the bathing or showering process can be difficult for seniors with mobility impairment, their personal hygiene can suffer. Seniors who don’t want to risk injury may avoid those daily hygiene practices, which can lead to secondary risks, such as infections or poor wound care. Walk-in tubs can help improve hygiene for seniors because they remove the danger and inconvenience from the bathroom equation.
If you deal with limited mobility or plan to age in the home, walk-in baths can extend many benefits that can improve safety and convenience for seniors. To learn more about the reasons that you should invest in a walk-in tub, contact Safe Step Walk-In Tub Company at (800) 346-6616.
