Toilet Comfort Tip

[AJK2001]

Been meaning to post this for a while. Mum lost a lot of weight in her last few months and even with the toilet frame round her, she seemed swamped by the toilet and as her strength went, found it more difficult to hold herself up, making using the toilet quite precarious. I picked up this lumbar support in a charity shop (similar available on amazon) and it worked wonders. It meant she sat up straighter and so was able to hold onto the frame better. She was more comfortable, in a better position for the necessaries and we could leave her to get on with "things", knowing she was safe, which obviously had huge benefit for her self esteem and dignity. Plus if there had been an "accident", the whole thing was easily cleaned, being a plastic mesh.

If we hadn't found this, Mum would have had to used the commode all the time, but as it was, she was able to use the toilet until 48 hours before she died, which made a huge difference to her.

[HilsandR]

What a great back support that was for your mum and especially so as it enabled her to maintain her dignity for so long. I am sure that bit of equipment will be of great interest to many. Well done for finding it and for passing on to the Forum.

Best wishes,

Hils

X

[SewBears]

What a terrific idea! It’s nice to know what options are out there and this is something that I had not considered. It goes to show how much we can learn from others. Great share!

[Nanny857]

Thanks for sharing, I'm sure it will be of great benefit to others, knowing what's available to make daily living that wee bit easier. xx

[Sunsetboulevard]

We have a waterproof cushion at my husbands back , actually meant for the car but more useful on the toilet as he can no longer get into the car

[AJK2001 in reply to Sunsetboulevard]

How we adapt hey. That's the sort of thing I was looking for initially but so glad I found the lumbar support as it gives a bit more support than just a cushion.

[Heady]

What a wonderful bit of kit. I use to put a roll of pipe lagging around the rim of the seat as Steve would always fall backwards and bruise his back. This looks much better. I also used the pipe lagging for the tops and corners of radiators, he loved bashing his head on those! Mind you, he always found a way of knocking it off, before his head hit the rad.

Lots of love

Anne

[AJK2001 in reply to Heady]

Sounds so familiar, yes we started with a rolled up towel over the lid rim, but the lumbar support, as well as protecting from the rim & those bruises, also sat Mum further forward and supported her. I would never have thought of it, but saw it in the charity shop and thought well it's worth trying for £3 and couldn't believe the difference it made.

As they say necessity is the mother of invention or in our cases perhaps it's reinvention!

[bazooka111]

This is an awesome idea! Oh my goodness ... this would be perfect for my Mom! I will get one these right away - thank you for sharing!

[ncgardener799]

What a great suggestion!! Can you give me any additional information about the apparatus attached to the commode.

[AJK2001 in reply to ncgardener799]

Hi what's in the photo is a wall hung toilet, with a toilet frame that is screwed into the floor for stability around it and then the lumbar support put over the toilet lid to protect the user from the edge of the toilet seat and also give support to the user, helping them to sit upright and not slide or slip to one side. We're in the UK and the toilet surround was provided by Occupational Health (OT).