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An Unexpected Bathtub Safety Product
By Christina Mulberry
I help to assure the safety and well being of my 83 year old mother. It can be hard at times, as she frequently rejects suggestions that could help protect her from falls or from other harm. However, she is a competent adult, and makes her own decisions. In the past couple of years, she has had some trouble getting in and out of her bathtub. First we got her some grab bars to give her something to pull up on when rising from the tub. This worked fairly well for a year. We also got her a medical alert button to wear, in case she got stuck and needed to summon help. It took awhile to convince her to wear it while in the tub, but at least for now she is complying with this. More recently however, she is having additional problems with getting out of the tub. She continues to refuse to have a therapist come to her home to evaluate her bathroom and make suggestions as to appropriate equipment, but the arthritis in her wrists was beginning to making it difficult for her to push up. She felt that she simply needed something to put in the bottom of her tub to lift her up a bit so that she didn't have to rise up from such a low position. She won't use her shower with seat as she prefers a bath. I suggested a tub bench, which is designed for the task of bathing. However, she didn't like them because they don't allow the person to really submerge themselves in the water. Thus, at her insistence, I began a search for something else. Something that would stay securely in place and boost her up 4-6 inches in her bathtub. What I finally found was a spa booster seat. The one that I identified had suction cups on the bottom to help it stay in place. It was made of heavy, durable vinyl and, of course was designed specifically to be submerged in water. Many of the booster seats I found didn't seem to be as secure as they didn't have the suction cups and reviews by other customers indicated that they didn't stay in place well. When we received the Life Spa Booster Seat, we merely had to fill it with water and put it in the tub. It is extremely heavy of course once it is filled. However, once in place, it is very secure. I suppose that since it is designed for a spa, it is designed to stay in place even in swirling water, something my mother's tub doesn't have. It raises her up almost 6 inches in the water and yet allows her to stay at least partially submerged. She is now able to get in and out of the tub much more easily. It shows no sign of slipping and seems to be performing well for the purpose she intended. I can't provide a professional recommendation for using this booster seat in the manner we are using it, however I can say that thus far, it seems safe and secure and is allowing my mother to be as independent as possible. This is certainly an example of "thinking out of the box" when it comes to adapting things for elderly individuals with special needs. I'll post a link to the seat we used. It's not something I am selling and I don't know the people who make or sell it, but perhaps it will be useful for someone. I would still encourage anyone trying to make adaptations to have a professional evaluate their abilities and any adaptations necessary. |
Life Spa Booster Seat
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A very creative solution. Well done.
Thank you for sharing this information, Christina. Your mother still has to step in and out of the tub over the high sides. There are walk in tubs available that eliminate that high step.
Best to you.
Frederick
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
Yes, I've seen these. Unfortunately, like so many things convincing my mother to try such things is no easy task.
Sounds good to me aside from the fact that it will probably be a bear to keep clean. I have seen some of those professional evaluations that were less than useful and known people who found much better solutions on their own.
Good idea, especially the bit about allowing your mother to retain her independence. She sounds like she simply doesn't want to be a bother. By showing you that she is capable of doing things for herself she justifies to herself her own need to be recognized as an individual with all her marbles still in place. Good article.
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This intel was contributed by mulberry
mulberry
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May, 2012
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