Accessible Showering

Care home residents generally do not find conventional shower trays and cubicles suited to their needs. They often feature a raised edge around the shower tray to contain shower water. However, this can be an obstacle and a trip hazard for patients with limited mobility and for wheelchair access.

EA Mobility are highly experienced designers and installers of safe, accessible showers and wet rooms for domestic and healthcare applications. They can create solutions that are cost-efficient, low maintenance, and practical yet maintain an aesthetically pleasing environment.

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Walk-in showers

A walk-in shower enables unimpeded access between the changing and showering areas of the bathroom and contains all showering water without the inconvenience of hinged or sliding doors.

If someone fits a shower with a level access tray, they set it flush with the rest of the bathroom floor and require a threshold of 10mm or less. Wheelchair users can therefore access the shower area without assistance and ambulant users are less at risk of trips and falls.

This can often reduce the need of carer intervention, which brings benefits in terms of maintaining the dignity of users and releasing carers for other tasks.

If a resident has reasonable mobility, a low-level access shower may be more suitable. A small step of 60mm or less features in this, making it unsuited to wheelchair access. However, installing it is simpler, particularly if it is replacing an existing shower or bath.

Wet rooms

A wet room is the ultimate solution for residential care home bathing facilities, for several reasons.

It is more accessible

In a wet room, the showering area floor is contiguous with the rest of the room. This eliminates the need for a threshold and allows residents with reduced mobility to access showering facilities without assistance.

It is safer

Designers have made wet room flooring to be warm underfoot and anti-slip, even when wet.

It is easier to clean

With sealing the entire floor and wall areas and making them resistant to cleaning chemicals, one can easily clean and sanitize a wet room with water spray or steam. The outlet drain is flush with the bathroom floor, so all water will easily drain away. This reduces not only janitorial costs but also the risk of bacterial contamination that can put residents and carers at risk.

It requires lower maintenance

A wet room eliminates the risk of water spillages or overspray escaping and penetrating the fabric of the building. This can cause expensive damage to drywall and timber, and pose a shock or fire hazard with electrical supply.