I am lucky enough to have my own bathroom (wifey has the ensuite) so can alter it how I want to suit me and my MSA. OT have been round and are looking into a powered seat, either just mechanical or one with air inflation to assist with getting out of the bath as that's virtually impossible for me now. They are also delivering a frame with seat extension for the WC. It's not permanently fixed but is for me to try to see if a higher seat and some metal to grab solves my difficulties of getting on and off the loo.
A lot of you have mentioned conversion to full wet room but I'm ruling that out right now as it is a lot of disruption and high cost. I'm looking for useful alterations which wont take a lot of effort or ££. the bathroom is about 7' x 8' with a bath, shower over bath (but u/s,needs rewiring), close coupled standard wc,old single flush type, and a pedestal wash basin. no storage cupboard , a couple of small shelves,towel rail and toilet roll holder (all wooden) , floor covering is carpet, all walls tiled to half height or full height round bath.
Any ideas or inspiration most welcome.
These are my thoughts so far;
If the gubbins from OT work then replace the WC with a raised height disabled version, which will of course be dual flush. Could be touchless (wave of hand) flush. WC with detachable seat? rimless?
Change floor covering to an easy wipe clean surface which can be disinfected.
Replace all outdated wooden accessories with stainless steel or chrome.
Install 2 wall mounted stainless steel cabinets for all the things like extra drugs, UTI test strips, catheter stuff and so on.
Change lighting to LED to save money and have a "mood" setting for calming !!
What do others think?
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ReverendBadger
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bath lifts require too much mobilty - sitting upright in a moving seat or swinging legs over the side of the bath so are short term only. seat for loo is very helpful and cheap and removeble when no loger useful. inflateable bath seat needs careful drying to stop it going mouldy - wet room i best long term solution as even when you have to be hoisted out of bed you can use it with a water resistant wheel chair.
If you are going to the trouble and expense of making any changes to your bathroom, view the room not just in terms of your independent use, but with one or two others helping you. It may seem inconceivable now, but it will become a necessity.
You are likely to fall in the bathroom. Grab handles may prevent some falls - think about all the places you may need them. Consider what you may hit when you land. And what may enable you to pull yourself up from the floor. The more space you can create in the room, the better. (There were times when we had six people in our wet room: my husband, myself, 2 x carers and 2 x ambulance crew.)
Ensure your new floor covering is as anti-slip as possible. This may feel rough to the hand, but you won't notice it underfoot. It will help prevent some falls.
Like it or not, being able to take a bath will become impossible. You can add steps and grips to the bath to use it as a shower but that also will become impossible. Climbing out will be hard, and the standing space in a bath too limited to turn easily. Being blunt, at some stage the shower will probably be used for cleaning up after involuntary bowel movements. Not something you want happening in a bath.
If not a wet room, you need a shower with a tray as close to the floor as viable so that a) it is a minimal step for as long as you can walk/stand and b) a shower chair can be wheeled over for when you require help showering. The shower itself should be thermostatically controlled so that you are not scalded or frozen by the water. Especially likely to happen if operated by someone else. And choose one with a hose attachment, for when you don't have the mobility to move yourself under the overhead spray to clean everywhere. Or are being washed by someone else. Again, grip handles essential and some form of seat, even just a shower stool that can be moved in or out.
Regarding the loo, make sure it is possible to wheel a shower or commode chair over it. This is not just a height issue, the shower chair also needs to be able to be positioned far enough back so that the commode element is over the toilet bowl.
Apologies if this is more than you want to hear. We learnt the hard way. Being better informed would have been a huge help. Good luck.
Thanks, all very useful info. BTW nobody is going to be able to tell me something I don't want to hear. 2 months and 4 days from dx I am now a hardened realist. I don't have the luxury of time to be anything else.
As to cost, look into Disabled Facilities Grants. You can receive up to £10,000 non means-tested, more if on a low income. The MSA Trust welfare advisors are a big help here.
Run by the local council and appear, in Herefordshire, to be means tested with an upper capital/savings limit which we exceed but I'll check with MSAT as you suggest.
nearly everything turns out to be means tested. nice if you are below the income limit but no help if you are not. by the way you are vat exempt for things soley for disabled use BUT it must be sorted out before the works including extensions etc.
m.o. less only benefits are moblity if you are NOT retired and carers allowance (belongs to Wifey and paltry) but better than slap in the belly with a wet fish
beware of wasting time on assessments which lead to means tested services. I once wasted a whole afternoon to get the information that i was eligible for respite care of 4 weeks a year but i would pay full price in a place of their choosing
Luckily we were able to convert to wet room but retained bath. Initially we had a rising chair in bath but that soon became redundant as getting onto it became impossible. We went for wet room type flooring as shower thresholds are a problem. My husband was hoisted onto wheeled shower proof commode which was wheeled over the loo then under shower.2 vertical grab handles either side of basin were a godsend as hubby able to pull himself up for quite some time.
We looked into getting help with finances but waiting times were too long.
Any work for disability changes VAT exempt.
Our first fitter was unaware of this so we changed company.
Alterations in bathroom also attract council tax reduction.
HiWe are lucky to have a large wet room in the apartment we moved into when my husband was diagnosed. We have found it invaluable and think it would have been a real struggle with a bath, as he has deteriorated, he has lost core strength. He has developed low blood pressure recently, mornings being his worst time and I am having to use a wheeled shower chair to take him to the wet room for him to shower etc.
Lots of grab rails will be very useful and of course toilet frame.
Hope my comments have been useful.
You might be able to get help by applying for a grant. Chat to the OT about who to apply to. In our experience a wet room with shower and a wheely shower chair is what you are going to need. Your OT will be able to advise. What is working now, isn't going to as MSA progresses. Kind regards Sharon. X
Hi. I know you weren’t thinking about a wet room conversion, but if in light of the above comments you have changed your mind, we did ours recently and put in a washer / dryer toilet (gerberit) and a body blower. The toilet is fabulous - so much better that trying to clean yourself. The body blower is more of a nicety.
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