Safer Bathing for Disabled Children
If a child has special needs due to a physical disability, using the bathroom can be a difficult experience for both the child and their carer. Remodelling a bathroom to enable disabled access can be a very expensive exercise but thankfully there are now a lot of products on the market that can assist a child and caregiver with everyday bathroom use.
Bathroom flooring can be a slippery surface, especially when wet. Non slip flooring can be installed in any bathroom, but if this option is too expensive then non slip floor mats can be placed over the existing flooring.
Grab bars can be installed throughout the bathroom to give extra support to a child who is not a confident walker or to give something for an adult to hold onto when they are carrying a child around the bathroom and want to avoid slipping. Grab bars can either be permanently installed by being screwed to the bathroom wall or non permanently with suction cups. Grab bars with suction cup attachments can be useful as they are able to be moved around the house or taken with the user on holiday.
Toilet seat extenders can be fitted over the existing toilet to enable a higher seat for a disabled child to sit on. This device can be useful as it means the carer does not have to bend down lower to position the child on the toilet.
A shower bench can be used in most showers. Shower benches are stools or benches that provide a secure place for a disabled child to sit while being showered.
A bath lifter can be very useful for disabled children as it provides support to a child while being washed in a standard bathtub. The ergonomic design reduces the back strain on a caregiver when getting a child in and out of the bathtub.
A bathroom chair / transfer bench with similar function to a wheel chair can enable a disabled child to safely use all bathroom facilities. The bathroom chairs can be wheeled over most existing toilets or can be fitted with commodes. The most useful bathroom chairs have a transfer system that enables the chair to transfer over the lip of a shower stall or bathtub and lets the user safely stay in the chair for the duration of the bathroom use removing the risk of the child or caregiver slipping over.
With a combination of the devices listed above caring for the bathroom needs of special needs children can be made much easier.
Bathroom flooring can be a slippery surface, especially when wet. Non slip flooring can be installed in any bathroom, but if this option is too expensive then non slip floor mats can be placed over the existing flooring.
Grab bars can be installed throughout the bathroom to give extra support to a child who is not a confident walker or to give something for an adult to hold onto when they are carrying a child around the bathroom and want to avoid slipping. Grab bars can either be permanently installed by being screwed to the bathroom wall or non permanently with suction cups. Grab bars with suction cup attachments can be useful as they are able to be moved around the house or taken with the user on holiday.
Toilet seat extenders can be fitted over the existing toilet to enable a higher seat for a disabled child to sit on. This device can be useful as it means the carer does not have to bend down lower to position the child on the toilet.
A shower bench can be used in most showers. Shower benches are stools or benches that provide a secure place for a disabled child to sit while being showered.
A bath lifter can be very useful for disabled children as it provides support to a child while being washed in a standard bathtub. The ergonomic design reduces the back strain on a caregiver when getting a child in and out of the bathtub.
A bathroom chair / transfer bench with similar function to a wheel chair can enable a disabled child to safely use all bathroom facilities. The bathroom chairs can be wheeled over most existing toilets or can be fitted with commodes. The most useful bathroom chairs have a transfer system that enables the chair to transfer over the lip of a shower stall or bathtub and lets the user safely stay in the chair for the duration of the bathroom use removing the risk of the child or caregiver slipping over.
With a combination of the devices listed above caring for the bathroom needs of special needs children can be made much easier.
