5 Ways A Shower Chair Takes Pressure Off Family Members – Showerbuddy Pty Ltd

5 Ways A Shower Chair Takes Pressure Off Family Members

5 Ways A Shower Chair Takes Pressure Off Family Members

Showerbuddy |

Supporting a loved one with their mobility challenges is something that many family members are more than happy to do. Help comes in many different forms, but it’s the physical exertion that can really mount up and wear on family members. Even the smallest of lifts and repositioning can create opportunities for injury or strain.
The bathroom is a common environment in which family members are at increased risk of sustaining such injuries. In this article we’ll talk about 5 ways a good shower chair will remove pressure off family members, so they can stay energised and injury free to provide help when it’s needed.

Manual transfers are reduced – and so does the risk

A shower chair mobility system can reduce the amount of manual transfers required, especially a system like Showerbuddy Transfer range where the bridge across the edge of the bath or shower is used to move the user. The awkward shifting of body weight with a manual transfer into a wet shower environment is understandably fraught with risk of slipping, so having fixed equipment securely in place to take care of this movement is a big benefit.

Manual transfers also extend to moving between the shower and the toilet. When mobility is reduced, family members may need to assist their loved one with getting onto a raised toilet seat. While possible, carrying a slippery person onto a toilet seat isn’t easy. By having equipment that allows the user to remain seated (and fastened with safety belts), this risk is greatly mitigated.

And before even entering the bathroom, a full mobility system can enable family members to transfer their loved one from a bed or couch in a dry, safe environment, and remain seated when entering the bathroom and conducting bathing and toileting activities. This is one of the benefits of the transfer range.

Saves time in the bathroom

Shower chairs make for a more efficient bathing process, with the reduction on manual transfer, but less reliance upon personal stability or careful bathing.
A shower chair that keeps the user in place securely will let the family member bathe their loved one quickly – or, if the individual themselves is able to safely handle a shower nozzle, they can even bathe themselves and regain that all-important independence in the bathroom. This frees up family members to prepare clothing, tidy up and do other tasks.

 

Finding time back in the day is something that any family who navigates a mobility challenge will appreciate. Helping our loved ones demands a tight schedule and it can be hard to find the time to do other things on some days. Any assistive technology that can create more time is worth investigating. A good shower chair is a great example of this.

The shower chair will help the morning (or evening) bathroom routine flow a lot easier.

Allows mobility impaired users to bathe themselves

In our engagement with families who have a disabled family member, one of the prevailing themes we hear is the desire for empowering their loved one to be more independent in their daily lives.

The bathroom is when this independence or lack thereof is often felt the most with using the toilet and bathing both very private daily activities. No matter what level of impairment, we believe that everyone deserves as much freedom and independence in the bathroom as possible. Shower chairs can provide some support to enable more of this independence, even if a family member is nearby.

 

For some families, this independence actually makes the bathroom routine largely hands off, putting less physical demand on the family member who may be better to use that energy for other tasks around the home.

The chair may be able to be modified to suit the user’s needs

Depending on the equipment you choose, the shower chair may have settings and adjustment that can ensure body position is optimal for the user for comfort and practicality of bathing. Without a shower chair (or a low quality stool), the family member may need to provide assistance, such as lifting their loved one’s legs up to take pressure off, or commonly, helping steady their body position on a stool or sitting in the bath.
When the mobility system takes care of body position, feet rests, arm rests, neck support, back support and a seat cushion designed for a certain body size, family members have far less to think about. The pressure of bathing transforms from a daunting physical task, so simply another part of the daily routine – and importantly, pleasant for the mobility impaired individual.

More family members can help out

It may be that one family member is the only one that physically can carry and support their mobility impaired loved one.
But when sophisticated bathroom transfer equipment is introduced, there is not the same demand of strength for much of the process. This means that if appropriate, families can share tasks between them, reducing the expectation on one person. This is a really beneficial aspect of a good bathroom transfer system – support can be shared. Or for a couple where there’s a heavier mobility impaired person being cared for by a lighter partner, equipment helps many tasks. It may be that in-home care is in place for the heavy lifting, with family members providing other, less strenuous care.

Share your bathroom mobility story

Has your family seen the benefits of good shower mobility equipment? Or are you interested in learning more about making your situation easier? Get in touch and share your story.

Further reading

Enjoyed this article? You may be interested in these resources online:

The information in this article is intended as general information only and is not a replacement for official health guidance by your local medical providers. Please always consult an occupational therapist and/or local healthcare for more specific guidance.