For some good 10 years after being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy I was still able to get in and out of the shower, but eventually, I realized that if I wanted to avoid accidents I needed to start using a shower chair.
So, I went online and ordered one, just like that. I did not check the dimensions, features, or specifications. Thank goodness, God must have asked my Guardian Angel to do it for me because the shower chair I got worked out well. It was made of aluminum, had wheels, the height was right for me, the seat was soft and it had an opening in the front. I enjoyed using it for a couple of years until one of my daughters noticed a suspicious color in the water dripping from the chair. It was rust. Something was rusting, maybe the nuts or the washers.
What did I do to solve my problem? I ordered a new one. Exactly like the one I was discarding. Again, I happily used it for another 2 years. This time I did not notice any rust but my caregiver started having problems when rolling me into the shower; the chair was hard to push; at moments, it felt as it would crumble which gave us a feeling of insecurity. The least that I needed was to hit the floor due to a collapsing chair! This put me again in the 'shower chair' market.
And, since nothing teaches a lesson better than lived experiences, this time I decided to give it some thought before ordering my next shower chair.
So, I searched and searched for 'shower chairs with wheels'…and so doing, I came upon PVC shower chairs. Eureka I thought, exactly what I need!
My PVC chair arrived in a huge box. My husband was delighted to see it was already assembled. It looked very sturdy, had its own sliding footrest and it rolled super easily. I thought it looked beautiful with its seat and backrest in blue. The cost though was higher. To be honest, double the price of the aluminum ones. Anyway, I was so pleased with it that I went ahead and took the first shower in my new chair. Right then I discovered that my new chair was not perfect. The opening at the front edge of the seat is not wide enough to allow easy access for personal hygiene. It is very, very difficult to soap or rinses the groin area; this detail totally frustrates the goal of taking a shower which undoubtedly is to get clean. So, I have not yet solved my shower chair problem.
But I want to share my experience so others learn from it. With that in mind, my advice to anyone looking to buy a shower chair is to at least do the following:
1. DO NOT BUY THE FIRST SHOWER CHAIR THAT YOU COME ACROSS
2. TAKE THE TIME TO TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS SO YOU WOULD KNOW WHAT YOU WILL NEED. FOR EXAMPLE:
-WHAT IS YOUR WEIGHT
-HOW WIDE ARE YOU ACROSS THE THIGHS
-WHAT IS THE LENGTH OF YOUR LEGS
-DO YOU NEED A CHAIR WITH A FIRM BACK OR A MORE FLEXIBLE ONE.
4. KNOW THE DIMENSIONS OF YOUR SHOWER AS WELL AS THE DISTANCE WHICH YOU WILL BE ROLLED.
3. TAKE YOUR TIME TO TALK TO A SALES REPRESENTATIVE TO LET HIM OR HER KNOW YOUR NEEDS AS WELL AS ANY CONCERNS THAT YOU OR YOUR CAREGIVER MIGHT HAVE.
By now, after twenty-some years of living with muscular dystrophy, I know that handicapped people have all kinds of difficulties added to their tasks when looking to get their most important equipment for daily living such as wheelchairs, beds, shower chairs, lifts and vests to mention just some of them. These items, despite being very expensive, can not be tried out and most of the time are non-returnable. That is why we handicapped should share our experiences with each other, to learn from our mistakes. That is exactly what I'm doing in this blog. And for that same reason, I invite you to leave a comment sharing yours.
Thank you for your visit!
Tags; Aluminum shower chairs, PVC shower chairs, Factors to consider when buying a shower chair, Personal hygiene.
