If you’ve reached your golden years, you know that it was not an easy journey. A long life is full of joy, but it’s also full of hard work and sacrifice. The lucky ones among us will reach retirement age in good health and with some money in the bank, which we’ll have saved during a career full of hard work.
If you find yourself in this position, you should use your money wisely. And there’s no better way to use it than to protect yourself and improve your comfort in your home. That’s why seniors need to strongly consider making comfort and safety improvements to their homes. One great example is the walk-in tub, an innovative bathroom fixture that eliminates one of the biggest dangers in your home while adding to your comfort and extending the time you can spend in a place you love.
The bathroom: a dangerous place for seniors
You probably spent most of your life not giving much thought to your bath or shower. You would hop in, clean off, and hop out. But if you’ve reached retirement age, you probably already have some idea of why so many folks would want a walk-in tub. Bathing isn’t as easy when you’re older. In fact, the process becomes one of the most dangerous things seniors do.
Bathtubs and showers are slippery, especially when they’re full of soap and water. Putting a mat down can help, but there’s still a risk that you’ll slip and fall. And seniors may find that they aren’t as strong as they used to be, or that bad joints or sudden pains can cause them to lose their balance and fall down. It’s easy to fall when bathing or showering, and it’s also easy to fall as you get in and out, because it isn’t easy to navigate the high sides or the tub (or even the low lip of a standalone shower).
And when they do fall, seniors are more likely to sustain serious injuries. Thinner limbs and weakened bones can mean that simple shower slip-and-falls can result in scary incidents, trips to the hospital, steep healthcare bills, and even death!
Bathtubs can also be treacherous because of the water. If you slip beneath the surface and don’t have the strength to get out again, you’ll drown. This is an unlikely scenario for a younger person, but the risk increases with age.
Fortunately, none of this has to happen to you. The solution is a walk-in tub.
How walk-in tubs work
The world is always changing, and no industry is untouched. Plumbing may have seemed simple back in the day, but modern plumbing is a complex world of cutting edge pipe technology, new types of drain and pipe cleaning, and improved plumbing fixtures. That may seem overwhelming, but let your licensed plumber worry about that – and focus instead on the ways in which modern plumbing has improved the lot of the consumer.
One big improvement for seniors is the arrival of the walk-in tub. A walk-in tub has a door on it, which means that you don’t have to worry about navigating the steep, high walls that hold the water of most tubs. Instead, you can just open the door and walk right into the tub – which will have no water in it at this point, of course! Close the door behind you and sit down on the secure seat the you’ll find in most walk-in tubs. The seal on the door is waterproof, naturally, and it will keep the water in as you fill the tub around yourself. The seat means you won’t slip down beneath the surface. When you’re done with your bath, you can simply drain the water, open the door, and step safely out again!
Stay in your home
A walk-in tub makes your home safer for senior living, and it’s an key investment to make if you want to be in your home for a long time. Too many seniors come to feel as if their own homes are obstacle courses, and this can lead many to leave their beloved properties for retirement homes and nursing homes. It doesn’t always have to be this way. Being proactive about making improvements like walk-in tubs can keep you safer and more comfortable in your home for longer. If you want to spend as many of your golden years as possible in your own home, then a walk-in tub is an essential improvement.
