4 Ways to Make Your Bathtub More Accessible & Safe

The goal of converting or fixing your current bathtub is to make it more accessible to the point where a senior whose mobility is limited by normal environmental settings.

Making your unit behave more like a walk-in tub should be your guide for a safe and accessible final product. Let’s look at the safety features of walk-in tubs and find out how you can emulate them.

The safety features of walk in tubs:

• Low step-in height (0-7″)
• Watertight door
• Safety grab bars
• Wheelchair-accessibility
• Non-slip floor and seat

With a combination of a conversion kits and other enhancements, your existing bathtub can be transformed to one that centers around safety using the suggestions made below.

1. Conversion Kit

Found with companies like Safety Bath, a door insert kit can be used to replace a wall’s cut-out with a watertight door. This achieves an entrance threshold of 9″ to 12″ lower than what was originally in place, eliminating the chances of slip-and-fall accidents predominant among aging seniors.

2. Safety Grab Bars

Although traditional bathtubs do have built-in grab bars already situated, you can add ones of your own that are easier to reach. You can mount a few on near-by walls as they’re easy to install and very affordable. Just avoid the ones with suction cups because they can be the cause of many hazardous situations – stick to what is known to work.

If the walls are too far apart and impractical to utilize, you can buy a quality adjustable grab bar safety rail for an average of 30 bucks – no holes in the walls, extremely useful, and safe.

3. Wheelchair Access

Making your shower stall easy to access with a wheelchair is easy – you just add a ramp and you’re ready to go. Your bathtub, on the other hand, will either require a transfer bench or seat, or a special ramp.

You can, of course, combine different safety components to build a set-up you’re most comfortable with. Let’s go over these individually for you to make an informed decision.

1. A transfer bench or seat can be in the form of a sliding swivel seat or a fixed seat, usually supported by four leveling legs or clamps that attach firmly to the rims. The transfer bench or seat to the price range of $50-$300.
2. AmeriGlide’s Conversion Kit involves a door insert much like Safety Bath’s only it incorporates a removable door and ramp for wheelchair-bound seniors and veterans to enter the tub with ease.
3. Bath lift chairs enable you to slide on from seat to seat without straining your muscles to get up and sit down. With the push of a button, the chair descends and lifts at your convenience, making soaking in your own bathtub an effortless possibility.
4. Mobile seats work almost identically to bath lift chairs only they can climb in and out of the tub using a motorized rotational bar on the tub’s rim. These are by far the most helpful seat for handicapped persons of age and they can set you back at least $2,000.

4. Non-Slip Surfaces

Slippery tub floors are very easy to remedy – all you need is a treatment such as SlipDoctors’ Non-Slip Shower Safety ($25). Simply apply the solution to tub floor, and within 10 minutes, you’ll have a slip-resistant surface effective for two years.

Once you find the upgrades and add-ons that you’re most definitely going to be using for your unit, you can combine them accordingly so you never should lose your bathing independence ever again.