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.