handicapped accessible shower

[srs]

We have a walk in shower stall that has to be replaced, and my husband would like to put in a standard tub instead. However, we need something that DD7 with mild cerebral palsy can safely navigate, and I think stepping over a tub is going to be too hard. I am inclined to just get a new shower stall, but does anyone have any experience with a tub style that might be a good compromise? Or should we install a grab bar with the tub?

[Jennifer132]

Depends on her level of ability. I would think a grab bar would be sufficient if she can climb stairs, since that would mean she has a good range of motion and the necessary balance to lift one leg in the air at a time. I have seen grab bars that attach to the side of the tub and are quite sturdy.

[KungFuPanda]

They make equipment that will safely lower her into the tub from a transfer chair. I think one is called a Tub Buddy. We replaced our tub with a roll-in shower, so we just roll my son into it in a shower chair. Ours was just a premade stall that was installed. It also has a fold-down shower seat that we used before transfers got too difficult and we started rolling the chair in.

[Kerileanne99]

I am in a wheelchair and I LOVE my walk-in style bath tub. It has a small door that opens/closes for entry, a seat, and jets. It also has a retractable shower head with a bar on the wall so that others could stand and use it as a normal shower.

 

I cannot actually walk into it, but it is also great to transfer into. It fits into any existing reg tub area, and can be adapted to fit larger spaces. I highly recommend it:)

 

http://www.premiercarebathing.com/ns/

[Kerileanne99]

I don't know what they are called, but there are tubs with doors. My biggest concern is wouldn't you have to wait for the water to drain to open the door or else you flood the bathroom?

 

You can get the metal bars (very sturdy) but you can also get one of these (we have one. We bought it a long time ago... either for ds to grab onto or for certain relatives). This isn't the website we used but this is what it looks like: http://www.miniinthebox.com/bathroom-shower-helping-handle-for-children-seniors_p532749.html?currency=USD&litb_from=paid_adwords_shopping#

I think you are thinking of the one like mine, in the link I posted. You do have to wait for the water to drain IF you use it as a bath and not a shower. You don't have to worry about opening the door with water in it. The door opens inward, which means that the water inside the tub pushes against the door. There is also a seal, and a lever/latch to close the door. My dd4, who loves the Octonauts cartoon (with submarine like vehicles) calls it the Octopod as she thinks the door seals like a submarine:)

[bethben]

I would stick to the shower stall.  If you plan to stay in your home, you don't know if your child's muscles during growth spurts and/or puberty will get more rigid.  My son has a chromosome disorder with cerebral palsy.  As he's gotten into his teens, we've had to do a lot more to keep his muscles loose.  If you get a tub and have trouble with transfers eventually, you will be putting in a shower stall again.  Tubs and kids who have muscle issues are a hazard in my opinion.

 

Beth

[srs]

I would stick to the shower stall.  If you plan to stay in your home, you don't know if your child's muscles during growth spurts and/or puberty will get more rigid.  My son has a chromosome disorder with cerebral palsy.  As he's gotten into his teens, we've had to do a lot more to keep his muscles loose.  If you get a tub and have trouble with transfers eventually, you will be putting in a shower stall again.  Tubs and kids who have muscle issues are a hazard in my opinion.

 

Beth

 

Thank you for all the replies! This is what I keep coming back to: the standard tub is a much bigger hazard, and we don't know what the future will bring so it is better to err on the side of caution. This summer has been bad with a growth spurt really causing mobility problems, so it has definitely been a wakeup call for us in terms of getting the house as safe and accessible as it can be.

[prairiewindmomma]

I'd stick with a shower stall.....he may want his privacy in his teen years and it is easier to manage. Grab bars won't save you if you are falling; they are a nice aid to pull up out of a tub or to hold on to if you don't have adequate postural support.

[StephanieZ]

I'd stick with a shower stall in that situation unless you have another showerstall. 

 

If you do want a tub/shower, then you can get them with grab bars. I put a Sterling Accord one in a hasty remodel of the kid's bathroom for short term use by my mom (who has Alzheimer's and was experiencing some dizziness. . . I really just did it as an insurance policy to reduce the fall risk for the few months she is using this bathroom until her own in law suite is complete, which will have an accessible bath and curbless shower . . . It was about $2000 for the tub/shower walls/removable seat and all the grab bars are preinstalled . . . So, it was a cheap and quick solution. However, from everything I've read, I would absolutely do a shower stall (curbless if possible) as a first priority in your situation. The bath tub is a secondary luxury, but the shower is critical.

 

I'd also put in plenty of grab bars (and "blocking" in all the walls in sensible places in case you want to add more later . . . better yet, you can line ALL the walls with plywood under the cement board . . .) 

 

HTH

 

 

[J-rap]

We have a standard tub but keep a bath bench in it like this:

 

http://www.knobbrands.com/product/21623/delta-df565-grab-bar-white?gclid=CJS5zsjziMACFWuCMgodeToAmg

 

It allows the person to first sit sideways on it, directly from the bathroom floor.  Then you rotate your body, lifting up your legs as you go, so that then you're in the tub facing the front of the tub.  You can then stand up at this point, or continue to sit while you shower.   With this, however, your son would only take showers.  It can be removed though and used as a bath for anyone else. 

 

We also have portable grab bars, which suction on to the shower wall.