The words “handicap” and “disabled” are used to describe a broad range of limitations people have. Sometimes a person may be temporarily disabled, and in other instances permanent physical disabilities result in a life full of obstacles. Physical activities healthy people find easy to do are a true challenge to the disabled. Most people consider taking a shower to be a routine practice; people with physical challenges consider showering a major occurrence.
Elderly people, for example, may be wheel-chair bound due to lack of cartilage in the knees or any other chronic ailment. Getting into the shower is not as easy as stepping in and turning on the shower. A great deal of concern is always expressed by the person with a disability. Safety is always an issue. Bars may be installed on the walls for stability yet this does nothing for the inability to step over the ledge to get into the handicapped shower. Stepping into a bathtub presents the same problem. Thankfully, designers have produced models that address such concerns.
The handicap bathtub is a blessing for people who need a different type of bathing unit. Wheelchair-bound individuals have the opportunity to take advantage of such tubs that have been made with their limitations in mind. Certain units developed for the physically challenged are referred to as walk-in slide-in tubs. This type of unit allows people who are able to get in on their own do so with the convenience of immediately sitting down. Individuals that cannot stand on their own are able to easily slide onto the built-in bench by opening a door that exposes the seat and tub floor.
Many tubs targeted for the disabled are able to accept transfer devices such as mobile lifts. It is a known fact moving a person with a disability can pose quite a challenge. Issues such as body weight and flexibility can often times be problematic for the helper, nurse, or caretaker. Investing in a tub designed for the disabled is a purchase that benefits the individual in need as well as the caregiver.
