Which one is better for older adults with mobility restrictions: a walk-in tub or a walk-in shower?
Safety
One of the most important reasons people purchase standing showers or walk-in tubs is their low entry threshold, meaning that you won’t need to put weight on one leg to raise the other off the floor. People usually lose their balance and fall at this point.
Walk-in tubs are much more reliable since they offer a low-entry threshold relieving the problem of clearing a high tub wall. They also include handlebars to help you get in and out of the tub, along with textured flooring helping you keep your balance when getting in and out. It’s typically safer to stay seated when bathing, but there is the danger of slipping and falling before, during, and after cleaning in a standing shower. Walk-in tubs usually come with a seat extension compliant with the Americans Disabilities Act to remove this risk.
Therapeutic and Health Benefits
Both showers and baths have scientific evidence proving their advantages. In comparison, showers are more hygienic as the bacteria go down the drain, while baths offer skin and health benefits for therapeutic gains. It’s a well-known fact that heat can relieve you from minor aches and pains. Soaking in a warm bath for half an hour can help people who suffer from joint aches or arthritis at the end of the day, making their lives more peaceful and enjoyable. That being said, a walk-in tub can take one step further by providing you with hydromassage that enhances circulation and gently massages aching joints.
A standing shower does not offer you these benefits, but you may be able to get a showerhead with a massage setting, but it will be hard for seniors to target all of the areas that hurt. It is, in fact, much easier to sit in a warm bath and get a massage to help ease minor aches and pains while enjoying a nice soak.
Before addressing this issue, we have to figure out the difference between a walk-in tub and a walk-in shower. Both the walk-in tub and walk-in shower have some pros and cons, so to decide which one is more suitable for you, it’s better to know their functions one by one. As the name implies, a walk-in tub is a bathtub to walk into. For some people who have difficulty climbing in and out of traditional bathtubs, this type of bathtub is incredible because it eliminates some dangers of slipping and falling. This bathtub has more vertical spaces than regular bathtubs with horizontal spaces.
In walk-in tubs, you’re not supposed to take your shower in a standing position; you have the opportunity to take a bath while sitting and have footholds and handlebars to help you ease your shower without putting extra pressure on your body and legs.
This bathtub has excellent functionality for those who have weak knees, and it’s difficult for them to stand out for a long time. Most bathtubs have jets that can act like a massage for your body, and it’s incredible for getting relaxed. It could be unclear for some people when it comes to walk-in showers because most of the time, you walk into showers, so it’s essential to know the difference.
An essential feature of a walk-in shower is that it doesn’t have any doors and curtains. The concept of a walk-in shower is to walk in it without any steps, and it’s open; most of them have half walls or half panes of glass. If a person has mobility issues, this type of shower is ideal because it has more visual space. The disadvantage of walk-in showers is that they are open and may not provide privacy, so you should take your shower while the bathroom doors are closed. There are different types of designs for walk-in showers, such as square, rectangular, or hexagonal; it depends on you. So all the specs of both cases were discussed above, and choosing which one may be more suitable for you is up to you and your current health condition.
My dad is not a patient person. We tried a walk-in tub, and he couldn’t deal with the fact that he needed to wait for the tub to become empty, and then he could open the door. It takes four or five seconds for the tub to become empty. My point is that it really depends on your beloved seniors which one they prefer.
My dad uses a wheelchair, and although a seat is included in the walk-in tub, it was tough for me to put him in the tub. I take him to the bathroom in a walk-in shower and just change his wheelchair, which is much easier than putting him in the tub. He agrees, too – true story. Also, the process of putting him in the tub was very hazardous. Everywhere was slippery, and it needed extra caution.
Walk-In Tubs, of course! Most of these products have hydrotherapy jets, which are very helpful for joint pain. Older people with mobility issues may benefit most from walk-in tubs.
During regular use, the entrance to the tub is just above the bathroom floor, eliminating the need to step over a high threshold. It lowers the likelihood of tripping and falling and the difficulty of balancing. You can also choose a tub with a fast-fill faucet, but it’s a bit pricey.
