Bathroom re-fit for infirm & elderly Mum
Discussion
I need to sort out the downstairs bathroom in my Mum's house. She's currently recuperating in a care home after a couple of operations to fit a stent to her Aorta. The 2nd Op was very long and complex and left her with strength and feeling issues in her legs. Things are very slowly improving but it's not clear exactly how much strength and movement she will regain. At the moment, she's very much of the view that she'd like to continue to live independently at her current house and with some re-configuration I think this might be possible. The stairs in her house are very narrow and steep so I'm focusing on making the downstairs her domain. There's a living room, dining room (will become bedroom), kitchen and shower room. The current shower room is totally unsuitable, but I think it can be made suitable.
I've drawn a schematic in Excel, which whilst not perfect (and definitely not to scale), shows the layout. The reason for posting this is to get some ideas on the right setup for the shower. It will definitely be a flush shower tray, and I realise that this will mean digging up some concrete floor for the waste, but I think that's do-able. The bits I'm stuck on are the cubicle itself - mainly the door(s) and their size and location / orientation and then the location of the controls, overhead shower, hand held shower, seat and grabrail. I am off out to visit some bathroom showrooms locally, but I have deep mistrust of any of these firms that specialise in bathrooms for the elderly, so I am sticking with mainstream shops for now. I would appreciate any input from anyone who has experience of these things. I've put the short dimension as 100cm, as there is room for this. I realise that this might need to be 90cm due to product availability.
I've drawn a schematic in Excel, which whilst not perfect (and definitely not to scale), shows the layout. The reason for posting this is to get some ideas on the right setup for the shower. It will definitely be a flush shower tray, and I realise that this will mean digging up some concrete floor for the waste, but I think that's do-able. The bits I'm stuck on are the cubicle itself - mainly the door(s) and their size and location / orientation and then the location of the controls, overhead shower, hand held shower, seat and grabrail. I am off out to visit some bathroom showrooms locally, but I have deep mistrust of any of these firms that specialise in bathrooms for the elderly, so I am sticking with mainstream shops for now. I would appreciate any input from anyone who has experience of these things. I've put the short dimension as 100cm, as there is room for this. I realise that this might need to be 90cm due to product availability.
My mother has a long rectangular shower cubicle with the entrance in the side at the end away from the shower, presumably similar to what you're proposing, however she has the controls on the side wall at the far end rather than right under the shower as is normal. This means she can turn it on and ensure the temperature is right without reaching through the water. She also got hand holds fitted to the wall, she doesn't need them yet but figured she may as well be prepared for when she does.
Have you thought of shower on the stud wall and open ended shower, which is basically what we have, all tiled walls and a glass panel.
And as above controls on the side, fitter couldn't understand why not underneath, I realise it meant more work with the pipework.
And as above controls on the side, fitter couldn't understand why not underneath, I realise it meant more work with the pipework.
Edited by netherfield on Wednesday 21st January 11:48
netherfield said:
Have you thought of shower on the stud wall and open ended shower, which is basically what we have, all tiled walls and a glass panel.
And as above controls on the side, fitter couldn't understand why not underneath, I realise it meant more work with the pipework.
Is the rest of your bathroom tanked, or is it just a case of the water never gets that far?And as above controls on the side, fitter couldn't understand why not underneath, I realise it meant more work with the pipework.
Edited by netherfield on Wednesday 21st January 11:48
I have thought about doing a wet room, but my currently feeling is that it will take too long, both in the actual doing of the work and also waiting for someone decent with the right level of expertise to have the time.
The challenge with the location of the controls is that I fully understand wanting to get the shower running at the right temp before you get in, but then there's also the question of switching between the overhead and the handheld once you're in the shower.
Huzzah said:
She'll perhaps want space for a wee shower stool too.
Would second that.You can get some tile-in benches. most of the backer board manufacturers sell them pre-formed or you can make them up out of the back board.
If being cautious etc, being able to sit and wash sounds like it could be a lot safer for her.
Sympathy. been there!
A shower stool of some sort is good.
A biggish shower tray is good.
If your Mum can only cope with a flush tray, then she's really not going to function living at home.
Low profile tray and some handholds is good, but by the time my Mum couldn't step up to the old tray 6 inches or so above the floor, she was really no longer safe on her own.
In the last two years, my Mum had care visitors daily, these people appreciate a clear divide between wet and dry areas, not a wet room.
A simple thermostatic shower valve that just works is good.
Agency carers can be new people at random, they haven't got time to learn complex novelty s
t. You will need them to be thinking about the person, not any technocrap with flat batteries.
Do consider a stairlift, local indy company were good as gold. It meant Mum was in control of her whole house and the downstairs room was still good for receiving visitors. Important for social contact.
A shower stool of some sort is good.
A biggish shower tray is good.
If your Mum can only cope with a flush tray, then she's really not going to function living at home.
Low profile tray and some handholds is good, but by the time my Mum couldn't step up to the old tray 6 inches or so above the floor, she was really no longer safe on her own.
In the last two years, my Mum had care visitors daily, these people appreciate a clear divide between wet and dry areas, not a wet room.
A simple thermostatic shower valve that just works is good.
Agency carers can be new people at random, they haven't got time to learn complex novelty s
t. You will need them to be thinking about the person, not any technocrap with flat batteries.Do consider a stairlift, local indy company were good as gold. It meant Mum was in control of her whole house and the downstairs room was still good for receiving visitors. Important for social contact.
OutInTheShed said:
Do consider a stairlift, local indy company were good as gold. It meant Mum was in control of her whole house and the downstairs room was still good for receiving visitors. Important for social contact.
There's a company advertising on TV that does a vertical lift, like a big clear tube. I think that's a neater idea - but probably costs even more.My dad was in a wheelchair most of his adult life, so i have some experiance, we tried most options over the years, including a downstairs shower room, not easy to use in a wheelchair, and a stair lift,
All have problems, a stair lift does narrow the stairs alot, makes carrying things past it tricky, and the downstairs living is fine, but not perfect.
In the end we went for a full wet room in the upstairs bathroom, and an indoor lift ( we were lucky to have upstairs and downstairs rooms that worked for this)
It didnt cost as much as you would think, dont forget if she is disabled you get the vat off all works for her needs. And he could go in it in his chair.
the lift company was great we used these https://wessexlifts.co.uk/
think from memory it was around 10k fitted, that was a decade ago or so tho.
All have problems, a stair lift does narrow the stairs alot, makes carrying things past it tricky, and the downstairs living is fine, but not perfect.
In the end we went for a full wet room in the upstairs bathroom, and an indoor lift ( we were lucky to have upstairs and downstairs rooms that worked for this)
It didnt cost as much as you would think, dont forget if she is disabled you get the vat off all works for her needs. And he could go in it in his chair.
the lift company was great we used these https://wessexlifts.co.uk/
think from memory it was around 10k fitted, that was a decade ago or so tho.
We've done this job here.
You can maximise space and make entry easy by swinging the door to open outwards.
Fit the shower controls within the shower near the entrance, so the user can start the shower without getting wet.
Put a shower seat in (fixed on the wall)
I used thick (18mm) shower panels rather than tiles. This makes planning or changing grab rails and shelf fitting much easier.
Go for low level shower tray.
Fit the largest towel rail you can, and use oversize screws (it will get grabbed)
We've been using a loofah bath mat for three years. It really is non-slip, it washes through well and I bung it in the washing m/c every now and then.
We have an extract that is powered from the light, and the light is on a PIR. (Had to move the sensor so that it could 'see' into the shower!)
As the less mobile folks often feel the cold, you may need to add an electric wall heater.
You can maximise space and make entry easy by swinging the door to open outwards.
Fit the shower controls within the shower near the entrance, so the user can start the shower without getting wet.
Put a shower seat in (fixed on the wall)
I used thick (18mm) shower panels rather than tiles. This makes planning or changing grab rails and shelf fitting much easier.
Go for low level shower tray.
Fit the largest towel rail you can, and use oversize screws (it will get grabbed)
We've been using a loofah bath mat for three years. It really is non-slip, it washes through well and I bung it in the washing m/c every now and then.
We have an extract that is powered from the light, and the light is on a PIR. (Had to move the sensor so that it could 'see' into the shower!)
As the less mobile folks often feel the cold, you may need to add an electric wall heater.
OutInTheShed said:
Sympathy. been there!
A shower stool of some sort is good.
A biggish shower tray is good.
If your Mum can only cope with a flush tray, then she's really not going to function living at home.
Low profile tray and some handholds is good, but by the time my Mum couldn't step up to the old tray 6 inches or so above the floor, she was really no longer safe on her own.
In the last two years, my Mum had care visitors daily, these people appreciate a clear divide between wet and dry areas, not a wet room.
A simple thermostatic shower valve that just works is good.
Agency carers can be new people at random, they haven't got time to learn complex novelty st. You will need them to be thinking about the person, not any technocrap with flat batteries.
Do consider a stairlift, local indy company were good as gold. It meant Mum was in control of her whole house and the downstairs room was still good for receiving visitors. Important for social contact.
Thanks for this. My biggest problem at the moment is that I don't know what she will be able to cope with. Her current problems are the result of a very long and complex operation to fit a stent - I think she was in theatre for about 12 hours. After the Op, she had no feeling or movement in her legs at all. They inserted a spinal drain to alleviate pressure which seemed to do the trick and feeling and movement has slowly been returning ever since. The COTE (Care of the Elderly) consultant said that she'd be slowly improving for a year.A shower stool of some sort is good.
A biggish shower tray is good.
If your Mum can only cope with a flush tray, then she's really not going to function living at home.
Low profile tray and some handholds is good, but by the time my Mum couldn't step up to the old tray 6 inches or so above the floor, she was really no longer safe on her own.
In the last two years, my Mum had care visitors daily, these people appreciate a clear divide between wet and dry areas, not a wet room.
A simple thermostatic shower valve that just works is good.
Agency carers can be new people at random, they haven't got time to learn complex novelty s
t. You will need them to be thinking about the person, not any technocrap with flat batteries.Do consider a stairlift, local indy company were good as gold. It meant Mum was in control of her whole house and the downstairs room was still good for receiving visitors. Important for social contact.
I'm going for a flush shower tray because I think I can. I may regret this choice and I may change my mind once I start digging out the floor. I am trying to find someone to do the work, but it's quite challenging as I don't live locally so don't really have the contacts.
I'm 99% certain that a stairlift is a no go. The stairs are very narrow (maybe 60% of "standard") and steep and the landing at the top is pretty much non-existent. I'm fairly comfortable that the layout of her house would allow her to live a pretty decent life whilst staying downstairs. She'll still have the front room for visitors and her bed will be out of sight.
However, all of the above is further complicated by the fact that the operation was not 100% successful and the aneurism is still leaking. There are no more surgical options available. She's on Morphine (Oxy) twice a day for the pain and this will almost certainly be an ongoing thing. However, I have no plans to give up. We're back there tomorrow and I plan to visit a tile shop and take some floor and wall tile samples into the home so that she can have some input.
Just seen the post about the LA team - my Mum's Physiotherapist is going to do a referral to them, and we will be listening to what they say. The care home is only 5 minutes (probably 10 when pushing a wheelchair) from her house, so we'll do a joint visit.
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