What Is A Shower Transfer Chair And What To Look For

A shower transfer chair is an accessory that is used with showers and bathtubs. If you're currently looking where to buy a shower chair, you should look for one that is resistant to rusting and that is nice and stable. For people who aren't able to stand while they are in the shower, a bath chair or bath seat is a very valuable device. For those with mobility issues, a bath chair can also assist you from laying right on the bathtub floor where it's sometimes difficult to get up from. Caretakers tend to strain their body when lifting people from the bottom of the tub, and a bath chair can provide some useful assistance.

A shower transfer chair provides people the ability to bathe themselves independently while mitigating the chances of any injuries from occurring. Many seniors are at a higher risk for injuries and accidental falls in the shower where it tends to be slippery. A shower transfer chair is also commonly called a shower seat, tub seat, shower bench, or bath seat, but it all depends on what kind of style they are. A transfer bench serves a bit of a different purpose than a shower chair, but the transfer bench can also be utilized to assist people in wheelchairs to the bathtub.

It's important to keep in mind that a shower chair won't be able to help you if it isn't able to fit in your tub. If you have an angled bathtub, you need to ensure that the bottoms of the shower chair are sitting flat on the tub so that it won't slide out of place. Having the bottoms of the shower chair flat on the bottom of the tub ensures that the stability of the chair will be increased. When you're looking for a shower chair, make sure you take accurate measurements so that you don't go and purchase one that isn't sitting flat in the tub. You'll want a shower chair that is just the perfect size for your tub, and one thing to note is that some companies won't permit you to return the chair after you've put it all together, so double-check all of the measurements for the right sizing.

What Style Of Shower Chair Should You Get?

If you have the upper body strength to balance yourself while sitting in a shower chair, then you might be fine with one that doesn't have arms on it. Shower chairs without arms typically don't provide a lot of extra support, so keep that in mind when considering your options. A shower chair without arms is great for people who like to sit while bathing and personal grooming. It is known to be more comfortable than the ones where you have to sit on the edge of the tubs while grooming or bathing.

When selecting your shower chair, you'll want one that has a non-slip seat. This will increase your stability when sitting in the shower. You'll also want to select a shower chair that has holes through the seat. These holes are what prevent water from gathering on the seat and becoming slippery. For shower chairs that specifically don't have arms, you'll want all the stability you can get, so slip-proof legs are mandatory.

Other Things To Look For

You can also choose a shower chair that comes with full back support. These are ideal for those that don't have lots of upper body strength and feel that they might not be able to support themselves completely. With the shower chairs with a backrest, you can simply just lean against the backrest of the chair while bathing or showering. Your balance will be increased, and you'll want to look for one that contains padding on the backrest instead of a hard plastic one. If you have any skin issues, padding or cushioning is even more important. Consider even purchasing additional cushioning if skin issues are of concern. Pressure sores can be painful to deal with, and the cushioning can lower the chances of any pain occurring while bathing. Again, if you have poor balance or stability, choosing a shower chair/bathtub seat with arms is the most ideal solution to go with.

Should You Get A Shower Chair With A Commode Opening Or Without?

For those that feel they need to relieve themselves in the shower, getting a shower chair with a commode opening is ideal. A commode opening is basically just an area in the seat that is cut out. When shopping for a shower chair, you'll see ones that contain seats that have a commode opening, or just completely solid. There are also ones that have the option of switching between the two.

Benefits Of Commode Openings:

Much easier to clean personal areas.
Don't have to worry about incontinence.
The shower chair can be used as a commode.

Downsides Of Commode Openings:

You'll need decent posture to lower the chances of slipping into the commode opening.
Some might get self-conscious.
They aren't as comfortable as the solid shower chairs.

If you think you have hindered mobility and manual dexterity, then getting a shower chair with arms, backrest, and wheels are the recommended way to go. You'll find it a lot easier to navigate yourself in the shower with this shower chair. In order to purchase this type of shower chair, your shower will have to be the type where you can wheel a chair inside of it.

Ensure to take accurate measurements before purchasing and assembling the product. With the shower chairs that have wheels, there are a couple of nice options that they come with. The rear wheel acts as a caster wheel/wheelchair type of wheel. This is useful for those who aren't able to push themselves. If you think that you might need to push yourself, then you'll want a shower chair that comes with a bigger wheelchair type of wheel so that you can effectively make it into the shower without having to get up on your feet and move around too much.

Ensure to do a good chunk of research before investing in your shower chair. Look at comparisons of the different products on the market, see what customer reviews each of them has, and be 100% sure that it will fit inside your shower. If you're looking where to buy a shower chair, you can also consider purchasing online. If you choose this method, contact their customer service so that you're even more confident in your purchase decision. They should be able to lead you into the right path for your next shower transfer chair purchase.