A person with mobility, strength, or balance issues is at a higher risk of falling. As a result, the risk of slips and falls increases in a bathroom due to its potentially slippery surface. Shower or Bath chairs provide people with mobility challenges with the ability to maintain dignity and independence while bathing themselves by providing a stable and secure in-shower platform to sit on and bathe without the fear of falling in the shower.
Who should use a bath chair?
The stability provided by a shower seat is appropriate for people who have significant balance issues, tire easily, have leg weakness, and are at a high risk of slipping and falling.
Are there types of bath chairs?
Every shower chair is designed to reduce the risk of a bathroom fall and help users maintain the highest possible level of independence. But with different shapes and sizes of people (and bathrooms) and different levels of mobility to consider, there are a number of types of showers chairs to choose from.
Shower Chair Without Back
For users who don’t need as much support, and just need a place to sit, a shower chair without a back will work fine. Shower seats without backrests are less cumbersome to position and provide a more open bathing environment.
Shower Stool
Stools are more compact shower seating options, which means they fit well but are more narrow and don’t have backrests. A popular feature of a shower stool is that it swivels, which can make it easier to get into position for safe transfer in and out of the tub.
Bariatric Bath Chair
A standard shower chair can accommodate users up to 400 pounds. Bariatric models can accommodate users up to 900 pounds, although most common among bariatric models are in the 500-600 pound weight capacity range.