Here I am an accomplished Senior Care Professional dedicated to working with the unique needs of an aging population and people with disabilities. I help people maintain their independence and remain safely in their homes and communities whenever possible. Yet, my folks have been one of my greatest challenges! Did you ever hear the expression ‘the shoemaker’s kids have no shoes?’ I can say that over the last few months my parents began paying more attention to bathroom safety. In the last eighteen months they have four different friends who ended up in the hospital followed by rehab due to falls in their own homes. Still, this did not generate any action to make the necessary changes to ensure their personal safety.
Then it happened, my Dad slipped and fell in the bathroom. He went sliding across the floor and fell into the shower door. Ouch! Thank goodness he was more shaken than anything else. It was the wake-up call they needed to get started. So, we applied a skid resistant solution to their bathroom and shower floors, decorative grab bars in the appropriate places, installed a comfort height toilet, replaced towel bars by their sinks with decorative grab bars and then it came to the hand held in the shower. My Mom was completely against it. She said a shower head is too much like a handicap shower and I do not want it! I did my best to explain that it has nothing to do with being handicapped. To the contrary, it actually is a bit of a luxury in that it provides more control over the shower experience and allows you to direct the water without getting your hair wet. Nothing seemed to work.
You can pretty much guess what happened next. My Mom called me on Friday. She slipped in the shower and wrenched her back. Like my Dad, my Mom is very lucky and she didn’t need to use her medical alert system. She is sore but nothing is broken. We arranged to meet and select the right handheld shower. It is being installed immediately.
Let’s take a look at some of the advantages of using a handheld shower head. As the name suggests, you can hold this device in your hand, and simply put, it offers ease of use. No matter the size of the person, the shower head will reach all areas of the body with ease. It is especially effective for children or seniors because the shower head's spray can pinpoint each area of the body effectively. Most important, an older person does not need to twist his or her body to direct the water. A handheld shower heads allow you to shower while seated, a wonderful option for folks with limited mobility or those who have difficulty standing. A child can hold the handheld and feel way more in control of his own shower experience. What a great way to teach cleanliness and independence at the same time! A very tall person will not be faced with having to duck his head underneath a shower head that is not high enough for his use and all the while enjoy the warm water as it runs all over his body. It allows you to relax conveniently and relieve your sore muscles. It sounds great so far right?
Is it difficult to install a hand shower in an existing shower? The answer is no. Many attach easily to your existing shower arm or to a tub spout with a hand shower diverter. Be sure and look for a hand held with a pause control button for ease of use and better control of your shower experience. There are some nice units made that even include a massaging feature which provides a more spa-like experience. .
Remember, a handheld shower head brings the shower to you, rather than moving to stand under a fixed shower, all the while decreasing the risk of falls and injury. It is always best to be safe, not sorry.
