From assistance to independence: the importance of adaptions and equipment to support bathing
By Lauren Hopkins, Occupational Therapist
Bathing can be considered as an essential daily activity for many individuals. We have learnt through research and our own personal experiences the many benefits bathing offers to our lives. However, for individuals facing limitations and challenges whether through aging, illness, or injury, the ability to bathe can become increasingly problematic.
Whilst adaptions and equipment aren’t the only solution to support bathing, this blog will reflect upon how adaptions and/or equipment can enhance an individual’s quality of life and foster a great sense of autonomy.
The role of adaptions and equipment
Adaptions are modifications to an environment that enable individuals to carry out the activity safely and effectively. When applied to the context of bathing, adaptions can vary from simple adjustments such as, widening doorways to enable access and non-slip flooring to person-occupation specific conversions such as, installation of assistive baths for individuals presenting with potentially more complex challenges.
Equipment are the tools and devices used to assist individuals’ engagement. The market for accessible equipment is vast and whilst this blog cannot detail all items available, it will briefly focus upon a few items that can be used in everyday practice to support bathing.
- Grab rails – a gold standard piece of equipment used by many individuals for varying degrees of challenges. Installation of grab rails can offer stability, mitigate the risk of slips, trips, and falls when getting in/out of the bath and relieve pressure or tension from joints during transfers.
- Bath seats – these vary from static to swivel chairs to support clients who presents with challenges with their lower mobility inhibiting transfers in and out of the bath. Bath seats are a helpful piece of equipment for those who perhaps do not require more specialist height adjustable baths or require equipment to support short-term rehabilitation goals. Bath seats are adaptable due to their range of styles supporting various bathroom environments and needs, they are safe, easy to use and comfortable.
- Assistive technology – motion sensor lights, temperature controls, and water flow regulation can provide added comfort for those that may struggle to manage manually. Smart sensors and devices can also alert caregivers/family members in case of a fall or emergency which further supports independence whilst bathing.
Benefits of adaptions and equipment to support bathing
- Safety – possibly one of the main factors driving adaptions and equipment is enabling safety during bathing. Having a safe environment mitigates the risk of injuries, increased care, possible hospital admission and ultimately encourages confidence to engage in the activity whilst promoting independence.
- Independence – as mentioned above, equipment or adaptions can allow individuals to bathe without the reliance upon care givers/reducing care, re-identifying their sense of purpose and identity.
- Dignity and privacy – equipment can provide the necessary support to maintain privacy and dignity during personal care, allowing individuals to engage in bathing with greater comfort.
- Energy conservation –equipment can help individuals conserve energy by reducing the need for excessive movement and fatigue.
- Cognitive support – adaptions such as visual or tactile cues, simplified equipment with clear markings, particular colours etc can enable individuals to remain safe during bathing.
- Promoting physical hygiene – whilst equipment can support cognitive and emotional needs of an individual, it also ensures that individuals can maintain personal hygiene by engaging in the task.
Reducing the need of assistance and enabling independence
Whilst there are many benefits, it is important to reflect that adaption and equipment isn’t a one-size fits all solution. Individuals are unique with specific needs, preferences, and abilities. Choosing the right equipment and adaptions should always be a personalised process. Quite often within practice, we are confined by funding and budget constraints, inconsistent policies and standards and housing/property issues that can determine the route for adaptions. As an occupational therapist, I always advocate that this should be achieved through assessing need holistically and considering occupation-focused outcomes.
For example, for some clients I have worked with they have benefited from a non-invasive approach by using suction grab rails to support transfers in and out the bath and support rehabilitation post-surgery. However, for other clients they have benefitted from installation of an assistive bath to allow them engagement in personal hygiene whilst also supporting the health and safety of their carer throughout this activity.
The desired outcome with using equipment or adaptions should always be occupation-focused and what is important to the individual whilst being realistic within your practice. All too often, we can sometimes forget to ask, “is bathing important to you and how do you wish to bathe?”.
The role of adaptations and equipment in supporting bathing for many individuals with everyday challenges can, therefore be invaluable. Whether the goal is to ensure safety or maintain independence, implementing the right support can increase independence and enable individuals to take control of their bathing routine. If you are working with a client or have a friend or family member who is struggling with bathing, I would always encourage you to either speak with an Occupational Therapist who can assess their unique needs and recommend appropriate solutions to help them regain their independence or a specialist technician.
With the right support, everyone can experience the comfort and safety of bathing whilst regaining their sense of identity and independence.