9 Signs You Need a Walk-In Tub

As we get older, we may discover that we need to make certain adjustments to our homes to make life a bit easier. Extra handrails might need to be fitted, or maybe a stairlift is needed. One of the biggest challenges that we may face is taking care of our personal hygiene. Getting in and out of the bath to wash can be an issue, even if it is the shower that hangs over the tub that you are trying to get at.

Some people don’t mind having a shower fitted and having the bath removed completely, but others miss having a bath to have a soak. With this in mind, you could consider installing a walk-in tub. But, if you are on the fence about having one installed, here are some signs that you should.

Limited mobility

If you find that you are not as mobile as you used to be, you are probably thinking that you need to make safer choices when it comes to what is in your house. Getting in and out of a bathtub can be a challenge for anyone, even people who are young and able-bodied. You need to take into consideration how to throw your leg over, keeping your balance, hoping that the bottom of the bath isn’t too slippery, and this is before you manage to get in. Plus, once you are in, how do you get out? Are handrails enough for you or do you need a mobility aid to hoist you in and out? Even if you can haul yourself upwards, are you able to swing your leg back out of the bath and not fall? That is a lot to think about just to have a soak in the tub.

Limited mobility is one of the big reasons why people decide to make the change to a walk-in tub. By removing the regular tub, you are removing a piece of equipment that you don’t use anymore. By changing to a walk-in tub, your limited mobility will no longer be an issue. You also won’t have to have hoists or large support rails drilled into the existing bathroom. Walk-in tubs are designed with mobility issues in mind. And, it doesn’t matter if you feel like you wobble or you need a wheelchair, there are many shapes and sizes to adapt to your needs and mobility aid.

Hydrotherapy needs

After an intense workout, many athletes use hydrotherapy as a way to help their muscles recover. If you suffer from aches and pains that affect your mobility, using the bath could be a great thing. Hydrotherapy was once called “The Water Cure”, as it is was designed to remove aches and pains from your body. This form of therapy has been around for hundreds of years and people regularly use it to remove disease from the body. From mineral baths to hot tubs, people have tried many different ways to use the power of water to their advantage. And with a walk-in tub, you could get access to the benefits of a hydro system.

Having a walk-in tub can be so much more than a big tub of water. There are a variety of options available that you can use to get the best out of your system. Hydromassage and hydro jets can be used to gently massage your aches and pains away. These jets can target anywhere from the base of your back to the soles of your feet. There is even an option to have a bidet jet system with certain models so you know you will leave the bath massaged and clean. Using your bath as a hydrotherapy system can help you roll back the years and make you feel younger and healthier.

Choosing between a bath or shower

When you are thinking about your current needs, you should take into consideration how changing the bathroom can affect you. Many people choose a walk-in shower because it is convenient. However, this is a common misconception that you need to choose one or the other. One thing that you need to think about when it comes to choosing your walk-in tub model is what accessories are available and the uses for your tub. As you can imagine, all of the tubs come with a seat so you can sit upright. Many also come with shower attachments that can be used independently and don’t need the tub to be filled. Your walk-in tub is essentially a walk-in and sit-down shower too.

We know that one of the reasons why people can be put off having a walk-in tub installed is the filling up and emptying issue. If you want to use a walk-in tub, it is necessary to walk in, shut the door, and then start filling the tub. In older designs, this fill up process meant you could be sitting naked for nearly ten minutes during fill up, and another 10 minutes as it drained again. Unfortunately, once you are finished bathing, you can’t just fling open the door and hop out without flooding the bathroom. Thankfully, improvements have been made and some models can be filled and emptied in around 5 minutes. This depends on your own plumbing and water pressure too. However, if you are using the walk-in tub as a shower for most of the week, filling it once or twice a week (and having to wait those 5 minutes or so) to have a soak won’t be as annoying as you think, especially after you have enjoyed the jets and massage system.

You are afraid of falls

The fear of falling in your home is not something that you suddenly developed. Over time, small accidents add up to create a very real fear. You may have slipped at the bottom of the stairs when you weren’t paying attention and hurt your hip. Or, you have misjudged where you are walking, causing you to stumble. You may have lost your balance in the shower and found yourself gripping for the wall for support that doesn’t exist. These sorts of accidents are very common, and even people in their 30s have suffered from a fall or two in the same manner. The difference is, when you are in your thirties, a slip down the last three steps of the stairs doesn’t result in a trip to the hospital.

If you want to enjoy a relaxing bath, even if your mobility is good, your mind might play tricks on you. You might be ok and still nibble enough to jump in and out of a regular bath, but too many slips and spills have left you with a fear that you will hurt yourself badly if you try and climb into the bath for a soak. Many modern bathroom designs are sleek with no help from handrails that were typical in baths from the 1980s and beyond. There is a good chance that you step into the bath to use the shower, but lying in the bath is another issue. By installing a walk-in tub, you can remove this anxiety around showering and bathing. Not only do all walk-in tubs have handrails for support, but they also have seats so you don’t have to stand on a slippery bath or shower tray while you are washing.

Staying in your own home

If you love your home, you might want to live out the rest of your life there. The fun thing about life is, we don’t know how long it is going to last. If you know that you want to spend your final years in your own home, you might want to adapt it now to make your life a lot easier. If you feel that you would benefit from a walk-in tub, you could install one now rather than waiting for your health to change or your kids start arguing that you need to head to the nursing home. If you think you are still able to manage the bath, and you enjoy the odd soak, you could shelf the idea for a later date.

A lot of retirement villages have tubs that are adapted for peoples mobility. If you were to tour these villages, you would see that many of them have walk-in tubs fitted to help their residents be more independent. One of the biggest reasons why people head to these places is the adaptations that have been made for peoples mobility. However, there is no reason why you can’t have this in your own home. Our specialist teams can measure and advise you on what you can install and help you revamp your bathroom to suit your changing needs. We want to help you stay in your own home, and as expert fitters, we can give you the latest advice on what retirement villages are installing for their customers, so your home can be as good as theirs.

Worried about hygiene

If there is one thing we can all agree on, it is that soaking in the bath does a great job of getting you clean. Many adults ranging from 18-65 years find that having a regular bath helps them to feel cleaner than just showering alone. And this is true. When you soak in the bath, you remove more dirt and oil from your skin than just showering alone. However, many people don’t like to lie in the bath because they are worried that they won’t be able to get back out again. Having a walk-in tub will allow you to soak your body with ease and peace of mind.

As an added bonus, as we have already said, many of the walk-in tubs come with a variety of jets and hoses. Although they can be used for massage, they are also great for getting your body clean. If you are worried about your personal hygiene, a walk-in tub can help you remove any excess dirt. Studies have shown that bathing once a week can help maintain the health of your skin, which can help you stay healthier too. Having a bath is also a great way to ensure that wounds are kept clean. We all know that using a salt bath is the number one way to maintain clean wounds, and this doesn’t have to stop if you get older. You might not fancy the jets, but you have to admit that a regular salt bath sounds good.

Worried about the future

As we stated in the above point about staying in your home, you may also be worrying about what the future holds. If you wake up one morning and realize that your kids have grown up and left home, you may start to panic about what the future holds. Having anxiety around what could or could not be can cause you to wobble in more ways than one. However, this is the time to take control and prepare yourself for the next stage of your life. The statistics say that as we get older, we are more likely to fall. If you are an accident-prone person all your life, this can be concerning.

If you know that you are not as steady as you used to be, now is the time to make those changes at home. Around 60% of falls happen in the home, mainly because we don’t adapt our homes to deal with our changing age. On the other side, around 10% of falls happen in retirement villages or senior homes. This is because they are adapted for the older person's needs. If you don’t like the idea of heading to the senior centre, think about the changes that you can make in your own home to prevent falls and make it safer. Walk-in tubs are a regular feature in senior villages, and you can have the benefit of having one in your own home.

Your health changes

As we get older, our health can change. Unfortunately, our health can change when we are younger too. Disease can strike us at any age, and we may find ourselves using a wheelchair before we are ready. No matter what life throws at us, we can adapt our lives and our homes so that we can live a full life. Installing a walk-in tub is one of those things. Depending on the health issue, Medicare will cover the cost of having certain models installed in your home.

Every health problem requires a different solution, so it is not surprising that people are turning to walk-in tubs to help them maintain their health. A walk-in tub is not one size fits all, they are all very different and depend on your needs. If you have a wheelchair, there are extra-large options with transfer seats as standard. If you feel that you can’t handle climbing over the side of a regular bath, a compact model could be the answer for you. No matter what your health complaint is, you can rest assured that we have the expertise to guide you and help you make the right choice for your changing health needs.

The bathroom needs an upgrade

Maybe this is a superficial reason for having a walk-in tub installed, but if you are looking for a bathroom revamp, you may consider installing one now, even if you are not ready for it. If you listen to a plumber, they will tell you that your bathroom should have a revamp every four or five years. However, with the cost and labour involved in changing a bathroom, it is likely that the bathroom can go for 15-20 years before it is remodeled. In some places, bathrooms get remodeled once and are never touched again, even if it is 40 years since it was last touched. If it has been 20 years since your bathroom was remodeled, you might be thinking about doing it now.

The issue with doing your bathroom now might be that you know in 10 years time, you might need to remodel again to make it more accessible for your age. So, you need to weigh up if you should wait another 10 years before the remodel or change it now and create an accessible bathroom now. This can be a tough one to weigh up because a walk-in tub is more suitable for older people. However, with the benefits that we have listed, you might be tempted to invest in a walk-in tub now and reap the benefits of it today.

As you can see, there are many reasons why you might need to get a walk-in tub installed, but, when it comes down to it, making the decision to have a walk-in tub installed in your home should be your decision. If you feel like you are ready to discuss the options we have available, our friendly staff can talk you through the makes and models that we have in stock and the installation process that will happen in your home. We can’t wait to speak with you.

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