30 July 2020
Coming home after spending time in hospital can be a great relief, signifying a time to relax, recuperate and focus on self-care.
One of the things many of us look forward to when returning home is enjoying a calming soak in the bath, but if you are recovering from an injury, or feeling unsteady on your feet, you may benefit from having extra support in the bathroom to help reduce the risk of slips or falls.
Here, we explore the best ways to stay safe with bathroom aids and give you the confidence to remain independent in your bathing routine.
Everyone wants to sit back and relax in the bath, but sometimes reclining in the tub isn’t always that comfortable and there may be worries about pulling yourself up to a sitting position.
Getting the right support for your back and neck can make a world of difference and staying in control of how much you recline can be even better. This support can all be found from a bath lift, a supportive seat which fits into your bath. Not only does it offer support for your back once you’re in the tub, it will also transfer you into and out of the water at the touch of a button. Some bath lifts even have a reclining option on the remote, enabling you to lean back and fully appreciate your bathing experience.
If you find it difficult to step over the side of your bath, a bath lift is ideal as it enables you to simply take a seat and lift your legs into the tub safely at your own pace, without the risk of overbalancing.
If you’re looking for a simpler, more cost-effective alternative to obtain neck or head support, you may be better with a bath pillow, which can be attached easily to the tub and provides a softer, more cushioned place for you to rest your head when reclining.
If you have just come out of hospital the last thing you want is to experience discomfort or cause yourself further pain when you’re trying to relax. If you’re finding it more difficult to bend you may consider investing in long handled equipment that can help you to clean your feet and other awkward areas, such as your back, whilst bathing. The long-handled bath sponge is a great product that reduces the need for you to bend to reach these areas when you’re enjoying your bath.
Accessing the bath can sometimes be a tricky task, as it usually requires you step over the side of the tub, which can often be hard to do if your balance is limited, and use a fair amount of strength to lift and lower yourself into and out of the water. A swivel bath seat, helps to make it safer and more comfortable for you to access the bath by eliminating the need to step over the side of the tub, so you can use the shower attachment for washing.
It can give peace of mind to add some rails or grab bars in the bathroom, as a source of support when you’re stepping into and out of the tub. A bath grab rail will fit onto the side of the bath to offer added stability and can be a useful way to receive support if you feel a little unsteady when getting into and out of the bath. Investing in an anti-slip bath mat can help to improve grip underfoot and it’s a great idea to get mats for the bathroom floor too, if you haven’t already been using them, to help you stay safer on your feet.
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