My gran loves to take baths. We had to move her down to the main floor because we (my mom and I) could no longer get her up and down the stairs. We do not have a bath on the main floor.
She has a sponge bath every day, but she really misses her bath. Personal support workers are not allowed to help us get her upstairs.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Maybe even consider a jacuzzi for outside. She doesn't have to strip down, just basic clothing and could soak a good while. My mom loved a bath so much! She had a tub, but couldn't get all the way up/down anymore. I bought a bath lift chair that she could sit on from edge of tub, raise it up and over to the filled up, then lower all the way to the bottom. I installed it (not difficult, just a little heavy) on floor and ceiling and worked quite well in her tiny bathroom. Best money I ever spent because it meant she could sit and soak awhile.
I'm sure they make something similar to blow up kids pool, but you'd need to have a drain in it and I would have reservations considering the potential for an indoor flood using something like that.
Have you looked into resources for installing a stair lift chairs that would take her up the steps? Medicare does provide some coverage for lift chairs, provided a doctor prescribes it for a medical reason. However, Medicare does not cover the entire cost for the chair. The motorized lifting mechanism is considered durable medical equipment (DME), which is covered under Part B. There are also grants and resources through your County Assistance Office that will cover the rest of the cost.
I would strongly advise anyone caring for their parent to apply for your aging waiver through the Area for Aging Agency to start the tedious process. Once you get your parent into the system they are able to get many adaptions at no cost such as grab bars for shower stalls or stairs, incontinence supplies, wound care treatments, anti bacterial wipes, medical alert system , anything to prevent falls such as non slip stickies for their tubs/showers, hand held shower heads, shower chairs, stationary bikes for building strength etc I could go on and on...if you want specific answers about coverage for anything please send me an email, I'm willing to help and I know the system well. Just my two sense
But you say you're not 100% confident in the OT's initial assessment? Was Gran having a good day or a bad day when it was done? If you feel the recommendations are too restrictive (and her good days don't suddenly morph into bad days with no warning), then I'd contact the same OT - rather than a different one - and ask for a review.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=portable+bathtub+adult&crid=313XTU8HQQVIY&sprefix=portable+bathtub%2Caps%2C519&ref=nb_sb_ss_retrain-deeppltr_2_16
Again, God knows how you'd fill it, drain it, get grandma in and out of it, keep a close eye on her while in it so she wouldn't drown while slumping over.....etc. etc. But yes, there are portable bathtubs available online.
Here's a review of one from a verified Amazon purchaser:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Just take a shower...
Reviewed in the United States
Color: BlueVerified Purchase
Ridiculous. I knew the idea of an inflatable tub seemed too good to be true. This might have pulled it off but the foot long drain tube (seriously...how hard would it be to include a reasonable drain system) is an absolute joke! I ended up breaking my back( the very reason I needed to soak in water to begin with) because I had to drain the tub with a pot. Then I had to lift it into the shower and the remaining water flooded my bathroom. Stupid Stupid Stupid item!
And BTW, a 'sit in' tub is nice--quite expensive and does NOT add value to a home. So if you're thinking along those lines---just be aware. Also, they require A LOT of water to fill.
I'd encourage mom to move more by offering her a 'hotel bath' if she can build up some strength. It would be much cheaper to do that once or twice a month than to try to add on to your home.
Is that something you might consider even at this stage? I don't know about prices but I believe they're not ruinous (though for heaven's sake don't skimp!). It can't hurt to get some estimates, perhaps.
Good luck!
Portable baths are a joke and they never work. I have yet to see one worth buying.
Look into the walk-in tub. They don't cost that much either.
Yes, you will need to put a lot of thought into it, and choose carefully, but in literally a one minute on-line search I realized you can buy antimicrobial inflatable tubs; and various tubs which rather than being completely rigid all the time like a tin tub, come with a power pump to quickly inflate and deflate the tub for use and storage; some have electric pumps to drain the water rather than just expecting gravity to drain the water from bottom of tub, etc… I would NOT recommend an el-cheapo tub that you would have to somehow tip up on its side to cascade all the soapy water into your kitchen sink, or toilet (or shower if you have shower on ground level). You will most assuredly hurt your back and then you won’t yourself be able to navigate stairs, much less grandma doing so.
If you commit to this, consider carefully and be prepared to spend some real money, but it really looks doable in the right situation. I don’t know setup of your house but I imagine grandmother would bathe in kitchen, so the electric pump drain system would be essential: don’t try to drag an unbelievably heavy water-filled tub to the porch to throw soapy water off into the grass. Have a pump to automatically drain water into sink.
And whatever you do, if you situate grandma in a tub at a facility, or in a hotel room (both interesting options suggested by posters to at least try), please be ultra careful when getting her out of tub so you don’t hurt yourself. Again, your own physical safety is paramount.
Good luck, and if you do go down this portable tub route, let us know how it works out.
My 95 y/o mother had an issue where she was leaning way over to the side in her wheelchair as well, which sounds like what your grandmother is doing. We believe mom's leaning issues were due to small strokes she was having. Such leaning made moving her quite difficult/impossible, and dangerous as well, b/c dropping her would be very likely. Dead weight is hard to manage. Use extreme caution when even thinking about trying to place such an elder into a bathtub, or getting a chairlift, or doing anything out of the ordinary. Safety is the #1 goal when an elder's mobility is compromised, meaning what they 'want' is secondary to what safety dictates.
Good luck.
On very good days she can partially support her weight on her legs and with alot of support she can walk 40 feet
Other days she is too tired and is like a floppy doll. She flops to the side also when seated.
Im not 100% confident in our OT. Do you agree about stairlift?
Pretty expensive but might be cheaper than installing a bath downstairs.
Perhaps, if you have some VERY good friends or neighbours (or both!), you could lean on them for support - once or twice a week should suffice but do take a gift to say thank you...