North Americans are changing the way they address living independently and the way they are choosing to live as they age. Many senior independent living facilities are now accommodating individuals needs by providing walk-in bath systems for the benefit of there customers and clients. Senior independent living centres are providing drop in bathing stations to address the safety needs of individuals that wish to remain in their homes but cannot perform this basic human need alone or with conventional baths and showers.
The future of senior independent living is changing. As the number of individuals entering the later stages of life increases rapidly, it is understandable why governments are having a difficult time determining how they will be cared for.
With already increasing pressure on the health care systems and dwindling pension monies available, the focus of enabling individuals to remain in their homes longer is a focus that the government have as well as the individual. We now see development companies that focus on retirement community based living complexes or aging in place developments often referred to as lifestyle living. Homes are designed specifically with the retiree in mind. They offer beautiful community focused accommodations and provide individual units with all amenities for their customers and clients.
The development companies understand that to attract customers and clients that they must provide products and services that will enable these individuals to remain in their complexes longer by making sure they are safe and comfortable. Seabridge walk-in baths and slide-in baths are part of the process and provide a safer and more comfortable bathing and showering experience than conventional baths and showers can.
Partnering with companies and government to achieve and change the way we think about senior independent living is a goal of Seabridge Bathing. Our customers recognize the benefit and advantage of our walk-in bath and slide in bath systems and this is slowly becoming true of government and development companies.
If you are planning to remain in your home or are planning a lifestyle living change and moving to a development, make sure the company, developer or government agency is using Seabridge walk-in baths and slide-in baths to enable you to bath in safety and comfort.
Bathing Disability in Community-Living Older Persons: Common, Consequential, and Complex.
Lack of Home Care Could Be Costly
Download News Story  (.pdf, 14.7kb)
Seabridge Bathing Expands its Product Line-up with Bathing Systems Designed for a Variety of Mobility Markets
Download Press Release (.pdf, 16.3kb)
The Canadian Association of Independent Living Centres
http://www.cailc.ca
Independent Living Institute
This site is a policy development center specializing in consumer-driven policies for disabled peoples' self-determination, self-respect and dignity. It is one of the largest resources on the Internet we have seen!
http://www.independentliving.org
National Council on Independent Living
http://www.ncil.org
Center for Independent Living
http://www.cilberkeley.org
Centre for Independent Living Toronto
http://www.cilt.ca/default.aspx
Bathing Disability in Community-Living Older Persons: Common, consequential, and Complex.
Naik AD, Concato J, Gill TM.
Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, Houston Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies, Baylor College of Medicine, 2002 Holcombe Road, Houston, TX 77030, USA. anaik@bmc.tmc.edu
OBJECTIVES: To identify the specific bathing subtasks that are affected in community-living-older persons with bathing disability and to determine the self-reported reasons for bathing disability.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
SETTING: General community of greater New Haven, Connecticut.
PARTICIPANTS: A total of 626 community-living persons, aged 73 and older, who completed a comprehensive assessment, including a detailed evaluation of bathing disability.
MEASUREMENTS: Trained research nurses assessed bathing disability (defined as requiring personal assistance or having difficulty washing and drying the whole body), the specific bathing subtasks that were affected, and the main reasons (up to three) for bathing disability.
RESULTS: Disability in bathing was present in 195 (31%) participants; of these, 97 required personal assistance (i.e., dependence), and 98 had difficulty bathing. Participants with bathing disability reported a mean+/-standard deviation of 4.0+/-2.4 affected subtasks. The prevalence rate of disability for the eight prespecified bathing subtasks ranged from 25% for taking off clothes to 75% for leaving the bathing position. The majority of participants (59%) provided more than one reason for bathing disability. The most common reasons cited by participants for their bathing disability were balance problems (28%), arthritic complaints (26%), and fall or fear of falling (23%).
CONCLUSION: For community-living older persons, disability in bathing is common, involves multiple subtasks, and is attributable to an array of physical and psychological problems. Preventive and restorative interventions for bathing disability will need to account for the inherent complexity of this essential activity of daily living.
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