Shower Chairs
About Shower Chairs
Shower chairs are support devices for the elderly or those suffering from permanent or temporary disabilities that provide additional support in the shower or bath. Despite looking like a normal chair, these chairs have extra features to make it more useful for those people.
As people grow old, they also grow frail and weak. Their limbs slowly lose mobility and grow weak. After a certain point, they will find it hard to walk or stand up for a long time. For them standing up in a shower will get even more challenging as balancing becomes difficult on the wet floor. A shower chair can be of great help in that case. Shower chairs provide a water-resistant cushion, rubberised leg grips and sturdy handlebars. This will make it easier for them to get in and out of the bath. Read this article to find out more about them. Having a better understanding of them will help you make the right choices when you purchase.
Different types of shower chairs
Because everyone’s needs are different, the shape, size, and features of shower chairs should also be different. The chair should be safe and easily usable for the person who needs them. If it is a doctor that recommended using a shower chair, then you can ask the doctor itself regarding what type of chair is going to be ideal for the patient. That would also be the best way to do it. But regardless of that, having a basic idea about the different types of chairs will also help you while shopping for them. Here is a list of four types of shower chairs.
Transfer benches
These types of shower chairs are useful for people with limited mobility. Transfer benches usually have handrails only on one side. This helps people with difficulty in sitting down to slide across the bench and access the shower. To keep the chair from slipping while the person is using it, the feet will have rubberised tops that sit firmly on the floor. Also, these chairs will have really wide benches so that there is enough distance for the person sitting on it to conveniently access the shower. So, if the person is showering from a bathtub, they can keep the legs of the chair outside the tub to make it easier to slide across.
Standard shower chair
As you can probably tell from the name, standard shower chairs are pretty basic. They will have two grips on either side of the chair, back support and adjustable legs. Rubber tips on the chairs help to keep it from slipping on the floor. Because of the lack of joins and the presence of handrails on both side standard chairs are sturdy and secure. Because the legs are adjustable, these chairs are useful for both bathtubs and regular showers. But the downside is that you can’t put it against the wall when you don’t need them. This can be a bit of an inconvenience.
Folding stool shower chair
If the person using the shower chair can support themselves on their feet, then it might be better to go for a folding stool chair. Compared to a standard chair, folding chairs are compact and use a simple design. The legs of these chairs have foldable joints that will help you fold up the chair after using. But a folding stool doesn’t have back support or hand rests. So, these types of chairs are not helpful for people with difficulty in standing up. To use a folding chair, the person using the chair should either be able to open and close the chair while standing up or they should have somebody for assistance.
Rolling shower chair
Rolling shower chairs are a modification of wheelchairs. Basically, the soft cushion of a wheelchair will be replaced by a waterproof plastic seat, and the rolling mechanism will be simplified to avoid damage from water. A person only needs this chair if he or she is unable to stand up or walk on their own. Therefore, it is common for rolling chairs to have a flip-up seat to double as a commode chair. Rolling chairs are more expensive than another type of shower chair on this list. It can cost anywhere from 700 dirhams to a few thousand dirhams.
Tips on how to buy Shower Chairs
Shower chairs are a blessing for people who find it difficult to have a shower while standing up. Being a medical support device, quite a lot of effort should be put into selecting a chair that is suitable for the needs of the person. These chairs differ in their sizes, weight capacity, support levels, and portability. Because of this, finding the right type of chair can be harder than you might think. However, it can be easier if you know what factors to consider in them. Here are some tips that you can follow while shopping for them.
- Material – There are chairs that use plastic for construction, and there are chairs with aluminium frames. Both of these have their own pros and cons. While aluminium chairs are sturdier and more durable than plastic ones, they are also heavier. For some people, they want to keep the weight of the chair as low as possible. But aluminium chairs do use plastic for cushion and back support.
- Size – When it comes to shower chairs, size matters a lot. The seat of the chair should be large enough for a person to sit comfortably. The legs should be tall enough so that the person sitting on it can reach the shower controls without assistance. But as the chair gets larger, it becomes harder to store. In that case, you can consider a folding chair if the person is mobile enough for that.
- Portability – Shower chairs can be fixed or portable. Fixed chairs usually come as wall-mountable models. Once you fix the chair on the wall, it can be difficult to remove. But if you want the chair to be portable, then there are even more options than this. A folding chair will literally fold flat, and you can carry it in the trunk of your car. A rolling chair will even make it possible to move the chair around while the person is sitting on it.
- Design – A typical shower chair is upright. That is also the way most people want their shower chair to be. But it need not always be that way. For people suffering from acute conditions, simple back support might not be enough. For such people, there are recumbent chairs as well.
There are plenty of other useful items that are going to be useful in a shower. These include shower tray carriers, shower tray drains, shower curtain rods, shower stools, shower hoses, shower pans, and many more. You can find all of them with a simple click using our shopping search engine . It will also let you compare the prices and features of different products and pick the best one among them. Finally, don’t forget to check out other amazing products from the bathroom fixtures category.
Question & Answer
Are shower chairs covered by insurance?
Typically, insurance plans do not cover shower chairs. However, some premium insurances do cover them. You will have to consult your insurance provider to check if they have coverage for these chairs. And if they do cover, you will need a doctor’s prescription for the chair to process the insurance coverage. In some cases, you will need to submit the prescription prior to buying the chair, and in other cases, you can buy the chair and then submit the prescription to claim the amount. This too varies between insurance providers.
How to clean a shower chair?
It is important to clean a shower chair after each use. But apart from that, you will also have to carry out thorough monthly cleaning. This is necessary to prevent mould growth and to maintain the hygiene of the chair. When you are carrying out the monthly cleaning, make sure to use a strong cleaning agent like a tile cleaner. Use the cleaning solution and a brush and scrub the surface thoroughly. Concentrate on small gaps in between the chairs which might accumulate dirt. Even the small scratches on the chair can trap moisture and function as a breeding ground for fungus and bacteria.
Where to buy shower chairs in the UAE?
You will be able to find shower chairs in most medical supply stores. If your insurance covers the cost of the chair, then it is also the best place to buy the chair. Besides that, stores like Home Center, IKEA, and Home Box sell them as well. However, if you want to find the right type of chair for your need, the best place to look for them is online. That way, you will be able to access thousands of different models without having to step out of your room. Shopping online will also let you find the most affordable option by comparing the prices.