5.3.4 Bathing and Showering Equipment
There is a wide range of products available to support bathing in long term care environments. Your facility will have its own options for you to use. However, here are a few videos showing some examples of LTC tubs/ shower areas, and bath seat lifts—a mechanical lift used in the bathroom to lift the client into and out of the tub. Follow the specific directions from the manufacturer to operate the bathing equipment that is provided for your use.
In the following video, you will see an example of a bath seat lift, which transfers a patient from their bed to the bath tub, and back. Bath seat lifts are also available for the home.
This video has no audio, so no video transcript is available.
Alternatively, some LTC centers use lifting bath tubs that allow the care provider to assist the client without hunching over in a way that will cause back problems. Remember, it is important that you protect your own physical health when caring for others by using good body mechanics.
Learn More
To learn about considerations for selecting bath and shower equipment for your facility, and to review several options that are available, read “Selecting the Right Bathing Systems for Your Facility” by Stacey Biddle.
An example of an LTC private bathroom is seen below. Note the hand rails, the roll in flooring and drain, the shower chair, and the handheld shower head.
Did You Know?
In some facilities, pre-packaged bathing packs of soap and shampoos are used. These packs include disposable towelettes impregnated with gentle soap and water, or a shower cap with no-rinse shampoo (for the hair), which are heated in the warming tray included from the manufacturer. These packs are easy to use for bed baths and take less time due to reducing the transferring and reheating of water.
Here are some advertisements for two common prepackaged bath products (note: the following links do not signify endorsements of these specific products over any other brand):
Can you locate another product that you think would be useful for your own practice? Try doing an internet search now!
Media Attributions
- accessible shower © Church of the Redeemer is licensed under a CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution NonCommercial ShareAlike) license
