5 Things You Must Know About The Perfect Shower Bench

My husband and I are both dealing with issues of aging parents. My mother and his father have mobility issues. It is amazing how much we take our ability to climb steps for granted until we cannot do it anymore. My mother has had multiple falls. The bathroom in her home only has a bath tub. It was no longer safe for mom to take a bath, even with assistance, because her legs were not strong enough for her to get up after sitting in the tub. We had to purchase a shower bench and a handheld shower. We also installed grab bars so that she could help transfer herself from the sitting to standing position. The use of the shower bench and handheld shower were only a temporary solution. We all worried about mom being in her home alone. About three years ago she transferred to a senior apartment building that provides support and care services.

Her apartment is all on one level so we do not have to worry about her climbing stairs. The bathroom is equipped with a walkin shower, complete with a shower bench and grab bars. There are also pull cords in every room in case she needs help. She eats her noon meal each day in a central dining room with all the other apartment residents. This assures that she is getting one balanced meal a day and it is also a safety check that she is getting up and grooming herself and dressing herself.

My husband’s father and mother are both alive. His mother is in incredible shape for her age. His father had a stroke so he has weakness on his left side. Due to this he can no longer go up and down steps. The shower in their home is located in the basement bathroom. We needed to get a hand held shower and shower bench for their bathroom also. My father-in-law is a very large man so we needed to get an extra heavy duty shower bench that could accommodate his weight. We also had to have the shower bench model that has an attached transfer seat so he can sit down on the bench and then swing his legs into the bathtub area.

We also needed to build a ramp over the steps from the garage to the house so that he could maneuver in and out of the house. The four steps that were there were too steep for him to climb. Due to his mobility issues he cannot visit other people’s homes. I never realized what a barrier the four steps on the front of our home are.