Shower Seat

[ncgardener799]

My Husband has PSP for 5 years and is still able to shower himself standing up. Lately he has been experiencing more dizziness than usual and he asked me about a seat for shower. I know there are a few options, but wondering about others experience with shower chairs. What style has worked for other caregivers and patients who need to sit in shower? Thanks!

[Zappa61]

Hi are you in contact with your Occupational Therapist via your Family Dr, Once asked a person will come in your home and make life easy for you & include a Shower stool maybe what I have a fold down, hope this helped & Stay Safe

[ncgardener799 in reply to Zappa61]

Thank you I will communicate with OT for advise.

[Martina_MP]

I think one with arms would be good. Arms are helpful because later people can have problems sitting up straight and tend to keel over to one side or the other, and arms also give some support when moving to sit down or stand up. After an initial, simple shower chair, about 15 months later, I got my mom a shower wheelchair/commode but it’s not that convenient. It’s too high for her, and a tight fit in the shower space. But some days when she can’t walk in and out of the shower, it is necessary. And the commode opening is convenient for cleaning the nether regions. So later you may need a chair with wheels but one without is more stable and more comfortable.

[ncgardener799 in reply to Martina_MP]

Thank you. The suggestion of a commode chair with seat opening for ease of cleaning nether regions is a good idea.

[Inparadise]

I bought a NOVA chair with arms for my husband about six months ago.........works great!

[Sunsetboulevard]

Yep , we have a fold down seat attached to the shower wall which was useful . Later we bought a wheeled shower chair which was great up to a point , but it was a two person job as washing my husbands back and bottom meant he had to be supported. Now he has blanket baths from carers

[crwban]

Our social services OT was able to suggest and provide a suitable shower chair on wheels, moveable arms and with a commode opening for my wife who has been living with FTD and PSP for many years. Getting the correct size of chair is most important.

[ConcernedEx]

A shower chair is very helpful. I found a shower chair that extends over the bathtub side - so he doesn’t have to step over raised side into shower.

Amazon has nice chairs that people can sit down and push themselves or caregivers can push them.

If you have a separate shower- I would suggest DRIVE shower chairs- very reliable.

Good luck.

[ConcernedEx]

I forgot to mention- I would get the chairs with arms- so when time comes where he gets more tired- the chair arms help.

Lastly, I would ask him to keep bathroom door open - so you can hear better should anything go wrong.

[daddyt]

I absolutely love my shower seat, it sure beats holding on to the grab bar and leaning into the corner. Have an OT make some recommendations for you.

Tim

[Nanny857]

My husband was in his 5th year when he got a shower chair with back and arm rests. We also had a grab rail fitted on opposite wall (about his shoulder height when seated on shower chair) he would then hold on to this and slowly ease himself down on to the chair, rather than falling on to it. The rail also helped him pull himself up to standing position, hold on to it and shower himself, with me standing by just in case he forgot to hold on. It gave him that little bit of independence and dignity and made life that bit easier for me as he was 6'2" and not easy to lift.

Our Occupational Therapist said she would recommend a commode/shower chair on wheels when he would no longer be able to stand.

So get in touch with your Occupational Therapist and they will assess your husband's needs and recommend and provide suitable equipment. Good luck.

Lots of love, Nanny857xx

[AJK2001]

We graduated from a fold down seat, to a stool, to a chair with arms to a wheelchair style commode with the opening for nether regions, this latter one was quite bulky but worked well in the wet room & definitely was the safest option. Get OT advice if you can.

[Sebuly14]

My husband cannot stand anymore. We have a Tub Buddy with a grab bar in the tub and outside the tub. It works very well. It has a tilt feature that will be utilized in the future. It is very stable