Features of Walk in Showers

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Walk in showers are often a preferred option when bathing for those with lessened mobility, such as elderly people or some disabled people. Walk in showers differ from traditional showers, as walk in showers are designed to be easy access and therefore have some different features to provide that access.

Most traditional showers have a shower tray that requires a person to step over a lip and into the shower. If a person has lessened mobility, this becomes a difficult task as they may not be able to lift their leg high enough, or may have problems with their balance. To help users out, walk in showers come with either low access entry, or level access entry. Low access entry means walk in showers will still have a small lip, but it does not require the user to lift their leg very high to enter or exit the shower. As for level access walk in showers, the shower tray is level with the bathroom, meaning the user can just walk in and out easily. That’s why they’re called walk in showers and not step in showers!

Walk in showers usually come with thermostatic controls meaning the water is monitored and adjusted as it comes out of the shower so that users do not get scalded whilst using walk in showers.

Shower seats are often installed along with walk in showers, but sometimes have to be bought separately to walk in showers. There are different kinds of shower seats for walk in showers to suit different peoples’ needs. For example, there are foldable shower seats, which are useful if there are other people using the walk in shower but who do not require a shower seat. Another type of walk in showers seat is an adjustable seat which can be made higher or lower to suit the user’s needs. There are also shower seats that fit perfectly into the corner of walk in showers.

Walk in showers usually have single or double doors that have ample access space when open. Many walk in showers come with the option of having either full or half height doors. Half height doors are an ideal choice if a user requires extra support or assistance from someone such as a carer whilst using walk in showers.

Grab rails are a must have on walk in showers to help make using the shower must safer. However, they are meant to be used as a support and to aid balance, not to hold the full weight of a person. Grab rails often come as standard with walk in showers, but can also be bought separately. There are also different types of grab rails, some are attached onto the wall permanently and some use suction to attach to a walk in showers wall. These are quite handy, as they can easily be released from the wall making them fully portable and not just limited to use in walk in showers.

An added benefit of using walk in showers is that they are much more economical than a bath as they use less water. When buying walk in showers it’s important to consider all of the features, as what suits one person’s needs may not suit another’s. The best thing to do is contact a variety of walk in showers suppliers and ask for free advice before making a final decision.