As we get older, it becomes increasingly difficult to get around the house which raises the chance of a potential fall or an emergency room visit. Those falls are often even fatal. One way to prevent or lessen the chance of a potential fall or accident is to improve home amenities to make them safer, such as walk in tubs.
When we’re young, we may not think anything of the mundane task of taking a shower or a bath. It’s part of our daily routines and of course is not a difficult thing to do. But what we forget is that as we get older, simple everyday tasks become increasingly hard and even dangerous.
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention discovered that 1 in every 4 Americans who are over the age of 65 will endure some type of fall each year. [1]
That statistic alone is shocking enough, and most of those falls result in a rush to the emergency room. And even worse, those emergency room visits can be fatal.
But the thing is that a majority of those falls can be prevented with safer home amenities, such as a walk in tub. Most of these accidents occur in the home, especially in a slippery bathroom, and as a senior citizen, it becomes increasingly hard to just move around the house. By installing a walk in tub, you can make your home safer so you prevent fatal falls.
What is a walk in tub?
A walk in tub is a bathtub that has a door that lets you safely get in the tub without having to step over a high tub wall. The door shuts tightly after you enter in order to fill the tub and then drains once you’re finished. This way, you are able to safely enter and exit the bathtub and it lessens the likelihood of a fatal accident or fall.
Walk in tubs come with a myriad of benefits, especially for senior citizens.
1. Safety Features
First and foremost, the purpose of the walk in tubs is to make sure that users can safely enter and exit a bathtub without slipping and falling. A lot of walk in tubs are also customizable with handrails, ADA compliant seats, low step egress, and non-slip flooring. Some tubs are even built to allow easy wheelchair transfer into the seat in the tub. They are designed to make life easier and simpler, and eliminate the worry of injuring yourself.
2. Comfort & Luxury
Most people don’t realize that walk in tubs are also designed to be the pinnacle of luxury, so you can also relax and destress. Some other features of a walk in tub include heated seating, water jets, and chromotherapy lighting. Walk in tubs are also usually deeper than most normal bathtubs, so you can comfortably be immersed and seated in the tub. Although one thing to note with walk in tubs is that they must drain before you exit, so you may want to consider looking for a tub that is built to drain quickly and efficiently.
2. Cost
While you should know that walk in tubs can get costly, they do include a lot of features that you normally would have to purchase separately and complete multiple modifications to your current bathroom. It is usually a better deal to purchase a walk in tub that includes all the features you need, which can save both time and money. Generally, a walk in tub costs anywhere from $1000 to $5000, not including installing fees. You should also take into consideration that walk in tubs are not covered by Medicare, however, depending on where you live, you may be able to qualify for state assistance.
4. Hydrotherapy
There are so many benefits of hydrotherapy for senior adults, and walk in tubs can provide that. Hydrotherapy can help alleviate sore muscles and aches, arthritis, and speed up healing burns and ulcers. You can also equip your walk in tub with hydrotherapy jets (much like the jets in hot tubs or jacuzzis) and those can help massage and further relax achy muscles. Using both heat and massage can help heal your body and relieve pain.
All in all, if you are at all concerned about yours or a loved one’s safety, it can be beneficial for you to look into getting a walk in tub for your home. It’s important to keep your safety at the top of your list, and prevent possible injuries where you can. You want to be able to make sure you can live your life with ease in the comfort of your own home, without worrying about slipping in the tub.
Resources:
1. "Falls Prevention Facts." www.ncoa.org. National Council on Aging, n.d. Web. 21 July 2017.
2. https://www.diduknow.io/?id=L16&artid=206&preview=1
3. https://www.retirementliving.com/pros-and-cons-of-a-walk-in-tub
