Bathroom accomodations

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soonerwife

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So frustrating....

We are looking to enlarge our shower opening to 32" and remove the 6" threshold.

The guy that build the shower came by tonight. Unless we completely start over and jack hammer the foundation, we can not remove the threshold. The shower floor is higher than the bathroom floor.

So, I was thinking, we can leave the threshold and just enlarge the door and move the plumbing and get a shower buddy that will roll in over the threshold on a track.

Pretty sure there isn't enough room for the track.

Then I was thinking about the showerbay. It is a stand alone shower that will allow a wheelchair to roll in. Has anyone used a shower bay?

But, I don't think either one of those ideas will accommodate a tilt shower chair which I believe he will need.

ALS s***ks! No good options!
 
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I know right!

I hoped we could do a simple thing with our shower and had it all in my head ... but no it would have been a major job.

Do you have a drain hole in the bathroom floor?
 
If it is any consolation, during our remodel they had to jackhammer half the bathroom floor. It really does suck.
 
We only have a drain in the center of the shower floor. The shower floor is built up a bit so it is higher than the bathroom floor. He can only reduce the 6" threshold by 2" unless we jack hammer the foundation and so the shower can be flush with the bathroom floor. I am sure that will be VERY costly. Also, the tiles are discontinued so all of that would have to be trashed and completely redone.

The showerbay looks like an option but I don't see how there is enough room in there for CALS along with PALS. That would be fine if they could shower themselves.
 
A roll in shower is most often an expensive project involving jackhammering for plumbing, good drainage as well as removing the threshold. Don't get too upset at not being able to have it done. It is often of temporary use as the PALS gets weaker and more uncomfortable during transfers, or requires BiPAP or a ventilator. Sadly, many, if not most PALS only get a couple of years of use of it, and some even die before a big bathroom remodel or addition can be finished.

I had a shower in the upstairs master bedroom that I could use with a shower chair that extended across the threshold. My husband had to drag me sideways across it into the shower and there was no support for my body. I ended up hating showering. I shivered miserably and my husband sweated. The process took forever and left me exhausted. A roll in shower would have helped but the transfers from bed to shower chair to wheelchair would have been exhausting too, and impossible to do without a hoyer lift at some point.

We ended up washing while I sat on the toilet and it was far easier. A roll under sink is great for shampooing, brushing my teeth, etc. When a lift became necessary we opted for a ceiling lift over the bed, bed baths for my lower body, and upper body wash in my wheelchair sitting at the sink. It is so much faster than trying to shower, much less tiring for both of us, and far more comfortable for me. A

t some point you will need to use a lift and an overhead lift is better than a Hoyer type of lift. And, bottom line, we are cleanliness obsessed. Being clean doesn't require a daily bath much less one requiring a tub or a shower. A bed bath is comfortable, fast, and can be done just "pits and butt" and full bath on other days. It also gives a caregiver a time to check for any beginning pressure sores that would harder to spot during the whole showering hassle.
So unless money is no problem, put the cost toward a good lift system that you will use at least twice a day.
 
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Thanks Diane H! Good info. I want to make my PALS the most comfortable he can be... But realistically it probably isn't worth it for the amount of time he is going to be able to use it.
 
My suggestion only works when there is another drain hole in the bathroom floor. I'm amazed they don't seem to put these drains in bathrooms anymore.

We had a portable shower base that drained into this floor hole. It was a perfect and simple solution.

If there is funding available for a total remodel I would say go for it, otherwise I would really consider if it will be worth the cost long term. My Chris found the shower was one of his few joys in the day, so I'm glad we had the cheap easy solution we had as we did not have the money to remodel.
 
Tillie, that sounds somewhat like the showerbay I was looking at. My concern with it though is that I don't think there is room for me to be inside with him.

We don't really have the money to remodel. I can get it but I also want to use the money wisely on what will help the most.

If only we could see the future...
 
Hi
You can buy shower bays that don't need a drainage point they have a pump that can dispose of waste water down the sink through a hose. You do need to be within a certain distance of the sink though. I looked at these before we did the wet room as I could have used the kitchen but I couldn't get them in the uk and it would have cost a fortune to ship one over. They do have a model that can take a tilt chair, it would just depend on wether or not you had a room that was big enough and had a sink access within reach for water and drainage. They were called freedom portable disabled showers.
Wendy
 
Thanks Wendy! I will look that up. I have the space and access to drain and water source.
 
A friend of mine also had a wooden base built inside the shower raising the shower floor to the height of the lip and then had enough room in front to put a ramp in place. This allowed another very cheap option for showering that was easily removed later.
 
I'm going through the same thing. I want to do a remodel that will have resale value once Fred is the sole owner. There are so many options on everything it makes it hard for me to decide. Just take careful consideration in time involved. I really don't want a construction crew in my home for two months but I know what I need for now and for the future. The now has been taken care of by Fred putting an accessible (for now) shower with a nice pull down bench and a hand-held shower head. I've used it twice and I can actually shave my legs without hurting my back again. I know this is temporary but hoping it will get me through until my bath and track lift is done.

I hate these decisions.
 
Steve designed uor bathroom vanity and cabinet. One end has two doors that slide back. He can wheelchair right up to it. When it was made, another cabinet; to fit into that one was made. Once he cant use it any longer... we can put the cabinet in... that looks just like the other end.

Steve has always loved his showers and never missed a day. He now hates them. He hates sitting in the shower chair and is always cold. I am always so hot when giving him showers. We put in heaters, rails and made sure the bathroom would have everything he needed. Spent a fortune and it was so very stressful. I would not make the same choice if I had it to do over. I would have bought a portable shower.

This disease makes it hard to figure out what the right choices are.
 
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We are also currently doing a remodel. Demo starts this week and it will be a 10 week process. We rented a small studio apartment in the interim. AZ GIRL on the forum suggested a body dryer which I found a company called Tornado that makes these... it blows hot air .. I get very cold in the shower and I have trouble with holding and manipulating towels, hence I am hoping this works well. We are doing a ceiling track from the bed to the toilet to the shower and to the sink. We are also installing a toto washlet. I am hoping this will work well enough for at least a year. The bathroom is only one part of the remodel.. we are also ripping out carpet to do hardwood, widening doors, putting in smart switches, levers on doors, grab bars. The suggestions here have been wonderful.
 
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