|
Walk-in bath tubs have become more popular as the US population grows older. Sadly, few tubs address the four areas of bath safety: entry and departure, getting up from the sitting, soaking location, burning from hot water, and distending while extending for the bath controls.
Quality walk-in bathtubs use easy-to-maneuver doors constructed in the side of the bathtub. This does away with the need to step up and over the high edge of a typical bath.
The doors diminish the risk of stumbling and tumbling on the floor of the bathroom or bathtub. The door devices should be easily opened with scarcely any force, yet still provide a water-tight seal to avoid seeping.
Rising from the floor of a typical tub can be trying for the elderly or the disabled, even with grab bars connected to the walls. It involves a good deal of upper body strength to boost oneself out of the bath. Walk-in tubs have seats built in, so little upper body strength is called for. This reduces the humiliating chance of being stranded in the bath, not being able to get out.
When people grow older, their hands and feet become less responsive to temperature. It is conceivable that an individual could be burned without being aware they are imperiled by extremely hot water.
Sadly, simply bringing down the water heater temperature raises the likelihood of Legionnaires disease. Step-in tubs with an anti-scald valve built-in reduce the hot temperature of the water entering the bath tub, doing away with the worry of scalding.
The last concern of protected bathing is the ability to steadily hold the bath tub controls. Situating the tub faucets, door latch, and drain mechanism within accessible grasp of the bather helps eliminate muscle sprains from over-reaching and maintains balance.
Article source:http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Wayne_Gerber |
Resources for the Elderly and Disabled
