Essential Features To Look For When Buying A Shower Chair
You may be looking to purchase a shower chair for yourself or someone you’re helping to care for. It’s important to ensure that the one you choose fits your safety and comfort needs. This article will highlight some essential features to consider when buying a shower chair.
Looking for more information about bathroom safety, adaptive equipment, and caregiving? Check if you have free access to Trualta.
Height Adjustability
When buying a shower chair, you should consider whether you need one that is height adjustable. Usually, this means that you can adjust the length of the legs of the chair to ensure:
- Appropriate posture when seated in the chair
- Feet are flat on the ground for more stability
- Ease when standing up or sitting down
- Ease when helping someone bathe while they’re in the chair (to avoid excessive reaching or bending down)
Drainage Holes
A shower chair should always have drainage holes to allow water to drain and flow, to avoid water pooling underneath the person showering.
Backrests
A backrest can be offered as a feature on a shower chair for both safety and comfort needs.
Safety
A person who has challenges with core strength, balance, dizziness, or fatigue would bathe more safely with a backrest that helps keep them upright. This can help prevent accidents like a fall.
Some shower chairs have a reclining back feature, which gives a person with weak core strength even more stability and safety.
Comfort
It may be difficult to stay upright during a shower. A backrest may be an appropriate solution to preserve energy and increase comfort.
In addition, having a backrest may eliminate the need for a support person to hold the care recipient up during a bath, thus providing more opportunities for independence.
Armrests
Armrests or hand grips can be an important addition to a shower chair. These provide extra comfort and reduce fatigue for the person showering. In addition, they can assist with a more stable transfer when sitting up or down from the chair.
You should be aware that armrests could get in the way of a pivot transfer from the chair. This means that if a person needed to turn to the left or right in the chair to exit the shower, arm rests or hand grips could be in the way. For these cases, you could look for a shower chair that only has a hand grip or armrest on one side, as it would leave the other side open for easy transfer.
Swivel
If the person needs assistance transferring in and out of a shower chair, requires armrests on both sides, or has limited shower space, a swivel chair may be a good choice. The swivel seat allows the chair to turn, enabling an easier transfer by letting them stand straight up and out without the need to turn or step over a barrier.
Padding
Some shower chairs offer padded seats, arm rests, and back rests for extra comfort. These may be especially desirable for people who have skin challenges like pressure sores. However, depending on the material, they may be harder to clean and maintain. You’ll want to avoid materials prone to absorbing moisture or harboring bacteria and opt for a medical grade option.
Storage
Some shower chairs may be large or take up space. This can be challenging for a variety of people due to factors like small showers or other people needing to use the shower without the shower chair. Some options include:
- Foldable shower chairs. These can be dried, folded, and easily stored outside the shower space, then brought back when needed.
- Wall-mounted shower seats. These lay flat against the wall when not in use. The seat can be easily lowered for use when ready. You should be aware that due to the lack of a frame or legs under the chair, weight capacity and stability levels may be lower. Although less common, wall-mounted chairs with legs are also available.
- Corner chairs. Some shower chairs have a corner-shaped frame, so they can be placed in the corner of a shower with the seat still conveniently facing out. This can offer a space-saving alternative.
You’ve now learned about the many essential features to look for when buying a shower chair. There are several places you can look to find the right one for you. Don’t hesitate to reach out to your healthcare team and occupational therapist if you need help picking one.
Looking for more information about bathroom safety, adaptive equipment, and caregiving? Check if you have free access to Trualta.
References
