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Special Care Bathrooms
Over the last few years the trade have begun to refer to bathrooms adapted for the use of customers with mobility issues as ''special care bathrooms''.
Such bathrooms have innovate design features to improve access and usability to customers that are elderly, wheelchair users or physically disabled allowing improved independence within their own home.
Generally special care bathrooms are based on a bespoke design to meet the needs of the individual customer both in terms of budget and practicality. Specification can range from simple changes, such as the addition of convenient grab rails, through to a complete wet room installation costing thousands of pounds.
When considering a special care bathroom customers should be aware of 2 key bathing aids that are often incorporated into the design;
1) Walk in baths
Walk in baths are specially designed bath tub with an opening door on the side, that allows the user to walk in rather than step into the bath, dramatically increasing the ease of access. This is a fantastic option for customers who enjoy bathing rather than showers, but find access impossible. Such baths can be fitted with excellent grab rails and seats based on each customers requirements. Other features include fast fill and fast drainage options to improve performance and showers can also be added for dual functionality.
2) Easy access showers
Should the user prefer a shower there are now easy access shower trays available that allow virtually no height to the shower tray or have ramp access eliminating the need to ''step in'.
Both bathing aids should have high quality thermostatic mixer taps added to reduce the risk of scalding. Both bathing aids above can be used by wheelchair users and those with mobility problems.
Finally, with the increasing popularity of wet rooms in homes, many customers with special needs are now considering this as a viable alternative to walk in baths and easy access showers. Wet rooms can offer excellent usable space that can be especially important to wheelchair users and can be fitted with many features to increase safety and enhance the user experience. However , wet rooms generally only offer a shower facility and require costly redevelopment of the bathroom that can be prohibitive.
