Bath Seat

The bath seat pictured here is not the standard removable seat that is just placed in the tub for use when needed. It was built right into the house with the intention that I would be able to use it to gently lower myself into the tub and lift myself out to dry off and get dressed on. This never happened. To this day I do not think I would be strong enough to use it and it was soon supplemented with a hydro-powered bath lift. Unfortunately, the difficulty transferring unclothed, combined with the rubberized shelf liner-style rubber material covering the lift to prevent slippage, did just that. It was too difficult to transfer from my chair to the bath lift without causing damage to my skin.

The two times I did use it I greatly enjoyed being mostly immersed in water and enjoying the benefits of the water jets on my body. But, after being that relaxed and the heat tiring me the transfer out was very difficult and negated almost all benefits of using a tub. I know this is not the case for many stronger quadriplegics and many paraplegics, but for me showering is quicker, easier and my bathing method of choice. I reserve my full immersion in water for hot summer days at the lake or nice hot pools, such as the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa in Moose Jaw.

A less costly and less permanent option for anyone wishing to try using a bathtub might be the removable bath seat that actually sits in and over the edge of the tub. It's more secure than the smallest standard bath seat you might see but both of them still don't allow you to get much more than your legs wet. I realize that they could also be used as a seat for showering but I am grateful to have had a roll in shower over the years.

As much as this bath seat did not work for me to assist with bathing, next week I will show you the Krulick's Soap Grippers that were completely useless to me.

Source: The built-in bath seat was included in the renovation. Portable, removable tub seats are available from most adaptive equipment supply stores or discuss with an occupational therapist what would be best for you. They may even have some available for you to try some before buying.

Leg Bag

Last week we dealt with accessing the urethra entrance in order to drain it through the method of various types of catheters.

This week we will deal with collecting what is drained.

A popular method is the leg bag. Self-contained, light, reusable, easy to carry, durable and able to retain its contents until it is convenient to drain. This is my device of choice because of the resistance to leakage and the closed system that it creates when the funnel end of the catheter is connected to the universal connector on the hose of the leg bag. Different hose lengths are available, the one-way butterfly valve prevents liquid from flowing backwards out of the bag and the flip valve is fairly easy to open even with limited dexterity.

Leg bags are almost ubiquitous as the collection method for any permanent catheter such as an indwelling (Foley) or condom catheter. At night it can be hung over the side of the bed and by day the straps provided can be used to strap the bag to the user's leg or wheelchair frame. For use with intermittent catheterization the rubbery hose provides a good place to temporarily hang the bag over the side of a wheelchair while completing the catheterization process.

I am aware of people using pop bottles to collect urine, which has the advantage of being widely available, easily replaced, resealable and lightweight. However, it is not collapsible like a leg bag, requires some precise dexterity to align the funnel of the catheter and the opening of the pop bottle and is not a closed system while the urine is being drained. A few times in 16 years I have had a catheter disconnect from a leg bag or the valve get caught on my spokes and flip open, but I still feel a lot more confident about the security of my system than trying to aim a catheter into a pop bottle.

Extension hoses, not unlike the hose leading to the leg bag but longer, are another option that works quite well, is as compact as possible and instant to replace – leg bags require some assembly – but extension hoses require you to be near a toilet. For a short time I tried using them and just found that the control of the closed system of the leg bag was easier for me in the long run.

That is not an exhaustive list of the options available but some suitable options to consider if you are searching for a better bladder management system.

Source: Medical supply company.