Choosing The Right Shower Seat

Bath aids are of great help to patients or the elderly with mobility limitations. They help them use the bathroom independently and efficiently. Out of the several bath aids available in the market, a shower seat holds great importance.

Several types of shower seats are available in the market for you to choose from. However, you need to pick the right type to ensure that it serves your purpose.

So, let's discuss in detail the several factors you need to consider for the right selection of this important bath aid.

• Weight Bearing Capacity

The weight-bearing capacity plays a crucial role in the selection of the right variant. The model you choose should be strong enough to support your weight.

The standard model is ideal for people with normal body weight. However, for people with slightly higher body weight than normal, a bariatric model may be a better choice.

While a shower stool can bear a weight of up to 100 kg, it is generally light and is an ideal fit for those who need to sit down only when feeling tired during showering. If you don't feel dizzy or require support when lifting yourself up, you can go for a shower stool.

If you need more support for sitting or lifting yourself up, a shower chair may be a more suitable choice.

Again, a shower seat is of different types like folding, non-folding, or wall-mounted.

A folding or wall-mounted variant may be ideal for little spaces. It folds down easily when not in use and hence doesn't require much storage space.

Further, a wall-mounted variant may be useful for people who have balance issues (like those rehabilitating from a stroke or half-paralysis). So, even if people tend to lean too much on one side than the other, the chair doesn't topple because of its permanent position. This can prevent possible fall-injuries.

• Design

Design is also a crucial factor to consider while selecting the right variant. While some variants have non-tilt (or upright) back supports, the other variants have tilting back supports. As a rule of thumb, the 'fixed or non-tilt back' variant may be ideal for those who don't require much assistance in showering and can hold their back in an upright position for long.

If a person needs assistance in showering or bathing, a tilt-back variant may be more suitable. Such tilt-back variants generally are more suited to places like hospitals and care centres.

• Purpose

Your purpose also determines your choice. If you want a bath aid that can help you assist you in the toilet as well, a dual-purpose shower commode chair may be an ideal choice. The additional feature of the commode chair eliminates the need for transferring individuals with mobility limitations to a commode chair separately.

If you don't require the additional commode functionality, you may go for the standard shower chair.

• Sitting Surface

The sitting surface of the variant you choose should be ideally slip-resistant, water-resistant, and durable. Moreover, you may be well off with a padded and easy-to-clean sitting surface. Many variants come with drainage holes in the sitting surface to facilitate faster drying by preventing the build-up of water.

If an individual is suffering from skin issues and is prone to pressure ulcers, it is recommendable to use a variant with a padded sitting surface. In other cases, a non-padded or contoured sitting surface may also work.

Tips to Take Care of a Shower Seat

Purchasing the right variant may not suffice alone. To make sure that your investment doesn't go waste and your seat lasts long, you can follow several care tips such as:

• Avoid using harsh detergents to clean your chair.
• Wipe off the residues from beneath the chair after every use to keep it clean.
• Let your chair dry between two uses.
• Follow the maintenance instructions in the user manual that comes with your chair properly.
• If you find any signs of damage or rusting in any part, replace that part immediately. Generally, all shower seats come with a stainless material; but there is no harm in checking once for reassurance.

In a Nutshell

Though a shower chair is one of the important bath aids, its wrong choice may fall flat. Therefore, ensuring that you choose the right variant is highly recommendable.

Derry has been working in the mobility aids industry since 2003, acquiring a wealth of knowledge along the way. Before Essential Aids, Derry's background was in engineering. In his spare time he is a devotee of yoga and rare reggae vinyl.