Whilst bath seats or boards are useful to people with lessened mobility, bath lifts and hoists are an invaluable tool to ensure that you feel completely comfortable in your own home. Fitting one can be much cheaper than completely refitting a bathroom to meet your needs.
Before you decide on a bath lift, you should consider the type of bath you own, its dimensions, the weight of the bath lift itself, the comfort of the seat, whether the lift has suction feet or not, the carrying capacity of the bath lift and how efficient the controls will be for you.
Bath lifts come in various forms. If you are not able to sit completely unsupported, consider a bath lift with a back support.
What Kinds Of Bath Lifts Are There?
- Inflatable Cushion Bath Lifts – This style of removable bath lifts are the easiest to move in and out of a bath. These are inflatable, plastic seats which sit inside of the bath and are inflated with an electric pump so that the seat is level with the rim of the bath. You sit on the top seat, which then deflates, lowering you gently into the bath.
- Motor–Driven Bath Lifts – These are reinforced plastic seats which fix onto the inside of the bath itself by using rubber suckers. You get onto the seat at the rim’s height and then use the waterproof, battery-powered handset to lower the seat completely into the bath.
Hydraulic Bath Lifts – These types of bath lift are much less common than motorised bath lifts, mostly because they do exactly the same thing but require more effort, and on average, are a little more expensive.
This system, unlike powered seats, is controlled by the weight and position of the person using it, along with the buoyancy of the water. Your body’s weight whilst sitting on the chair slowly lowers the lift. Removing that weight, by sitting upright and raising yourself using the bath’s rims, makes the seat rise.
This style of bath lift requires that you can raise yourself out of the bath further than other lifts need you to, and that you are able to raise your arms as high as shoulder height without any discomfort. - Fixed or ‘Band’ Bath Lifts – This style utilises a large waterproof band on a roller. The band itself is fitted to the wall beside the bath. The other end slots into a floor-mounted bracket on the opposite side, meaning that the band itself lies across the width of the bath.
These rollers, at the push of a button, can tighten or loosen the band, which raises or lowers you into the bath. The main advantage is that there is next to nothing beneath you, meaning that you can be fully immersed in the water, but these types of bath lifts offer no back support.
Bathtime Mobility – The Right Bath Lifts For You
Here at Bathtime Mobility, we know all about bath lifts, and pride ourselves on offering relevant, helpful advice regarding home mobility. We are dedicated to providing our customers with the ability to remain independent within their own home, and lower the risks of any injuries resulting from accidents trips or falls.
For more information, to request our free colour brochure or for a free home survey on how to increase the accessibility of your home visit our website, call us on 0800 292 2110 or use our online contact form.