Thursday, June 11, 2009

Shower Chairs with Arms!

My father is still very independent and quite stubborn. But he exhausts easily ... even just getting up seems to tire him out these days, so taking a shower seemed almost insurmountable. About a week ago, it suddenly occurred to me that if he were able to ease himself down onto a chair in the shower and not have to worry about balancing as well as maneuvering the hand-held shower handle, maybe ... just maybe ... he might be more inclined to take a shower without so much coaxing.
When I visited my father a few days after I put the chair in the shower, he actually had used it! He liked it! (I don't know why I had not thought of this sooner, but ... )
I purchased the one for my father locally at Griffin Home Health Care, but there are many online stores that carry them, as well. Be sure to get one with arms and a back. There are many for sale as shower benches, some are shower chairs without backs, some have backs ... but not all of them have arms. Arms are really essential, as the armless kinds make the person *plunk* down too hard and don't provide anything to grab onto to help ease them down ... and to help them get back up.
This way, my father can back up to the chair, reach his arms behind him and find the arms to the chair and, grabbing them, he can lower himself down.
Here are a few links to stores with shower chairs (again ... look for the arms)!

Elder Depot
Colonial Medical (the one I like is on page 3)
UCan Health

And I'm sure there are many, many more. Just do a google search for "shower chair with arms and back" and you'll find a lot. I purchased mine locally for about $83 and no shipping charge, as I picked it up. So, you might want to check your own city/town for home health or equipment supplies, etc.
It's definitely worth it! They also had lots of different kinds of rinse-less shampoos and bath washes. This is another option for someone who cannot take a whole bath or shower. There is even a shower cap with rinse-less shampoo in it and all you do is rub your hands on top of the cap to transfer the cleanser to the head/hair/scalp! Amazing!
I hope this information helps someone help their parents! I can't tell you how great this shower chair has been!