Mom just had her first home care person give her a shower. She suggested that we switch over to a shower curtain. It currently has a door. My dad still uses that shower all by himself though. While a shower curtain would be easier if there is a helper, I always thought that the door is safer since they can't fall out. I don't want dad falling out since he's used this shower with a door for decades. What do people think in terms of safety, curtain or door?
One other thought, once they need help in the shower it is much easier for the caregiver to manoeuvre with a curtain.
And I am finding for myself I am starting to get a bit claustrophobic with the doors closed, so I need to keep one slider open a couple of feet.
Methink, and I could be incorrect, if enough weight is placed on a slider door, it could shatter.
I understand privacy is still a key priority for your father, though. Can he not have the bathroom all to himself when he's showering?
I agree with MsMouse that grab bars are critical, but I'm usually facing the door when I shower and the grab bars that were good for my husband are behind me.
Does your mother use a shower bench? That seems safest to me. Your father might even like it, or it can easily be taken out for him. I had a health crisis that left me very weak for a few months, and I used a shower bench then. I thought it was awesome!
If it is a tub shower then you might consider a curtain with a transfer bench
At some point, they're not going to be able to lift their legs over the tub
We had to convert our small tub into a walk-in shower and I had the carpenter put supports to handle support rails that had to be installed through the shower walls. We have 2 bars inside the shower, 1 just outside the shower and 2 by the sink, one on top of the sink cabinet and another through the door when in an open position.
After he fell inside the bathroom and against the closed door - we now block the door open and have the bar for safety. As it's just the 2 of us living here, it's not a problem. If we have company, I can always hang a sheet over the open door. So far not needed.
So again, I think the bars are more important than curtain vs door in the tub/shower.
It shouldn't matter about what is easier for the person coming in to shower your mother - it's more important to take care of the safety issues for your parents.
Re privacy. It's not a matter of privacy since the shower is in a bathroom with a door. I decided to go with a clear shower curtain. Not only is it brighter in there but it's clear to my dad that it's not a wall or door anymore so hopefully he won't be tempted to lean against it.
Re tub or shower. I neglected to say that it's a walk in shower.
I've had a shower seat in there for a couple of years but no one uses it. My dad is still fit so has no need. My mom doesn't because she doesn't shower much. That's why we are trying the home attendant to help her.
Dad says he never even leans on the doors so it's not a problem. I further addressed this by putting in a bar that fits across the entryway after he's in there. He just has to swing it into place. So it's basically a handrail that's in place where the doors once were. But can be left aside for when the attendant comes.
We had a tub/shower combination. Before scheduling my DH's hip replacement, we decided it was a good time to gut and redo the bathroom with a view toward greater safety and access as we age in place.
The tub came out. In the same footprint we had a tiled, curbless shower put in. We installed grab bars on all 3 walls of the niche-- a vertical one near the "exit", a diagonal one on the back wall and a horizontal one on the 3rd wall, where we hang the bath mat when not in use.
I decided to go with a shower curtain instead of a door-- I have a cloth curtain with a clear plastic liner. This arrangement allows for maximum access for caregivers, makes it easy to roll in a shower chair (if it ever becomes necessary), and leaves lots of room to move a wheelchair into position to transfer on/off the toilet, should that be necessary someday. (I remember how hard it was to transfer my late mother to and from the toilet when she used to visit us, even using a travel wheelchair-- there just wasn't enough room to maneuver.)
You can have a regular tub converted by installing a door. Useless. Don't waste your money. The huge value of a real walk-in tub is not only the door, but also that you sit as in a chair.
The other concern I had was that he might use the handle on the door as support. I also removed the towel bar right next to the shower entrance as I saw him try to use that as a grab bar.
I removed the door and stored it in a closet for the time when I could put it back on.
Hung the shower curtain.
Made it part of the routine that when He would go into the shower he would use his walker to get to the shower then I would move it until he was done then place it where he could grab onto that when he exited the shower.
When He became a little more unstable I/we switched to a bathroom down the hall from the Master, this bathroom was built for handicap use, roll in shower, grab bars in the shower (I did add a few more in that bathroom though) This is the shower he used from then on first with using a walker in the shower (great resale shops, inexpensive walkers that he used in the shower, I would toss them when they became rusty) then eventually a shower wheelchair.
If there is a way that you can have a shower put in with no threshold that would be great. Will save some worry and the ease of getting in and out is so worth it!!