Bathtub

Lizzielou

Last night DH got up at 2:30AM and got into the bathtub.  It is a very deep tub and he couldn’t get out.  I heard him yelling and the water running so I ran into his bathroom to help.  It took us over an hour to get him out.  I thought I would have to call the fire department.  Any ideas how I can prevent this in the future? I can’t lock the door because he needs to be able to use the toilet.  Also I have picked out a memory care facility but it will take a few weeks to get him in there .

Ed1937

Two things come to mind. 1. Could you put a piece of plywood or something on top of the tub, or do you think he would remove it? You could tell him the tub is out of order. 2. Place things (maybe 5 gallon buckets of water) in the tub. Again, would he remove them? If he were not going into a facility, you could have the tub removed, and a shower put in it's place. But that costs money. Wish I had a better answer for you.

jfkoc

If my husband had wanted to take a bath he would have gotten into the tub regardless.

60 falcon

You didn't mention if he was laying down/sitting in the bottom of the tub and was unable to sit/stand up, or if he just couldn't step over the side.  If he can step over the side, maybe there's a shower chair that he could sit on and use a handheld shower with a longer hose.  That might be an option, but then again a chair would be something he could fall on.? If he simply can't step over the side of the tub I'm out of ideas.

Ed1937

I don't know if a transfer bench would work for you. You will know better than we would. Here's a link, but there are also seats that slide on some of them. https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Medical-Transfer-Adjustable-Backrest/dp/B002VWK0T6  

Gig Harbor

Shut off the water to the tub and fill it with pillows. Put a cover over it. If he can’t see that it is a tub he might forget. If he does get in the pillows will keep him up and if he can’t fill it up he just might take a nap.