Bathing, Shower design

DTSbuddy

Does anyone have any advice for designing/building a shower? We have a leak and are going to replace out tub/shower with an accessible shower. Should it have sliding doors or curtains? Where should the grab bars be located? Is a built in seat useful or better to have separate seat? He is still active but not so flexible, and getting weaker. Ideas appreciated

loveskitties

A curbless shower is a must to help anyone with mobility issues. It alleviates the need to step up to enter the shower.

I have seen some on TV which do not require either doors or shower curtains.

Making it big enough for 2 people is also a good idea so that if LO needs assistance there is room to manuver.

Adding a hand-held shower head is also a good idea, so that body can be cleaned without the water beating directly on the head.

harshedbuzz

@DTSbuddy

This is a great question. If it's a complete bathroom gut-out and you have the space, a wet room is a great option. If not, a zero-entry shower is good as it allows a shower wheelchair to be used.

Ideally it should be large enough to hold two people. Grab handles should be in the standard position for standing. I'd skip the built in shower bench as you want to be able to assist in a 360* degree manner and they can be slippery. Instead, I'd bring in a shower chair with arm rests. Dad's MCF used a bedside commode chair with the bowl removed which allowed them access to the undercarriage.

HB

jfkoc

design for 2 people…no curb…room fora chair …hand held shower head….controls easily reached from outside the shower

DTSbuddy

Thank you, jfkoc, harshedbuzz and loveskitties. We had a plumbing estimator over today, and your comments helped!

MN Chickadee

The showers in the facilities my mother was in always had curtains, not doors. Seems better if the helper needs to move around and back into it, has some give. If your community has any agencies that work with disabilities/aging population and occupational therapists on staff, they can be a good resource. When making some modifications to my dad's bathroom I asked the OT at his rehab facility for advice on where to place grab bars and at what height and things like that. If you can get an OT to the house they may have valuable advice based on your particular set up.

DTSbuddy

Thank you MN Chickadee!

HollyBerry

My mother's bathroom in AL had a drain in the center and a slight slope to the floor. She was terrified that her walker would slide "downhill" and she'd fall. We ended up adding sandpaper-like strips and that helped her feel a little more secure, and probably also drove the cleaning crew crazy.