Are you caring for an aging parent or grandparent? Are you trying to find ways to make both of your lives easier? One thing that can be difficult for people as they age is being able to bathe themselves. Instead of taking a bath or a shower as they're used to, they now need help getting in and out of the shower or tub. You may be considering simply purchasing a bath chair, but that may not be much better than what you're doing now. A walk-in option has several advantages over just purchasing a bath chair. Some of these advantages include:

More independence: With typical use, the bather sits down on the bath chair outside of the tub and then slides the seat over so that it's above the tub itself. Unfortunately, sliding a bath chair into position may not be something that your parent or grandparent can do on his or her own. In addition, even simply getting the shower set up for the bath may be difficult for your parent or grandparent. As a result, they can't bathe on their own schedule and must wait for you. With walk-in tubs and showers, there is no overly-complicated process for personal hygiene. As long as your parent or grandparent is reasonably independent, they'll be able to bathe or shower whenever they want.

More dignity: The process of helping someone to bathe, even if it only involves helping slide a bath chair into place, is not overly full of dignity. Even if he or she wears a bathrobe to get into the tub, you could wind up seeing more of their nude body than either of you would prefer right now. Since walk-in tubs and showers allow even minimally independently-mobile people to bathe on their own and in privacy, your parent or grandparent will be able to maintain his or her dignity.

Avoid injury: Using a bath chair to bathe can be messy. Even with a shower curtain in place, several bath mats or towels, and your parent or grandparent being careful, the end result could be a waterlogged bathroom. Since a sliding bath chair hangs over the side of the tub, a shower curtain will, at best, be only slightly effective. A wet bathroom floor will obviously be more slippery and hazardous for everyone, especially your parent or grandparent. With walk-in tubs and showers, almost all of the water will remain in the tub or shower instead of covering the bathroom floor. Instead of worrying about your relative falling and injuring him or herself, you'll be secure in the knowledge that he or she will be as safe as possible in the bathroom.

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