Product Solutions: Bath Safety

Providing the right range of bath safety items can dramatically improve a patient’s safety and quality of life.

The bathroom has been deemed the “most dangerous room” in a home for a reason. Approximately 80 percent of home accidents occur in the bathroom, but most of those accidents can be prevented with the right safety products. That statistic demonstrates that there is plenty of opportunity for a provider to grow its business by stocking bathroom safety products.

The key is to offer a wide array of solutions that can fit clients’ unique needs. One person’s struggles in the shower might not be the same struggle of another, so a savvy provider must ensure it is keeping in mind the different needs of the various patient segments it serves.

A key strategy for understanding the needs of a patient is to interact with them and perhaps perform a home assessment to examine what products they are currently using and how they are using them.

For example, if a patient is using a bath stool that is placed within reaching distance of the water faucet but not under the stream of water, it’s likely that they patient is trying to stay close to the water knobs so that it’s easy to turn the water on or off or adjust the temperature. But they’re also likely having a hard time actually bathing. So, the provider could offer is a handheld showerhead to give the client optimal control, ease, and above all safety.

That just one example of how providing the right range of bath safety items can dramatically improve a patient’s safety and quality of life. Here are some offerings that can help HMEs accomplish those objectives:

Chair provides support and safety for children while bathing

Otter Bath ChairCOtter Bath Chair

  • Provides support and safety for children by providing an angle adjustable seat and backrest to accommodate each individual’s positioning needs.
  • The Otter’s legs are slip-resistant for safety and can raise the chair an additional 7 inches. The chair has height and width adjustable lateral supports that can be used for positioning the head or trunk.
  • The pediatric bathing chair is available in three sizes and with or without a tub or shower stand.

Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare
(877) 224-0946
www.drivemedical.com

Stool reduces twisting and reaching

Bath StoolBath Stool

  • Features a padded seat that can rotate 360 degrees and locks every 90 degrees for safety to reduce twisting while reaching in the shower.
  • The stool is height adjustable from 16 inches to 22 inches in one inch increments.
  • The top of the seat can be removed for easy cleaning, and the whole stool can be assembled without the use of tools.

Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare
(877) 224-0946
www.drivemedical.com

Perform transfers without crowding the bathroom

Tub Transfer BaseTub Transfer Base

  • Patients and caregivers can perform healthy transfers — either manually or with a mechanical lift — without crowding the bathroom with permanently mounted equipment.
  • Once finished bathing, the base collapses and hangs compactly on the wall with hook provided. Rifton’s folding storable tub transfer base makes it possible for everyone in the family to use the tub.
  • The tub transfer base is designed for use with Rifton’s newly redesigned Wave bath chair, accommodating clients up to 250 lbs.

Rifton
(800) 571-8198
www.rifton.com

Rollator providers discreet and dignified toilet safety

RollatorRollator

  • Free2Go Rollator is a safe, discreet and dignified solution for toilet safety in any restroom that features a walking aid, raised toilet seat and toilet safety aid all in one.
  • Incorporates the benefits of a raised toilet seat and toilet safety frame to provide swift and quick installation over a fixed toilet.
  • Weighs roughly 20 pounds and can be moved via the flat, 8-inch wheels attached to the frame that add stability and support.

Free2Go Mobility
(844) 324-8228
www.free2gomobility.com

System providers bath safety roducts in the palm of providers’ hands

eRetail PlatformeRetail

  • An eRetail system that includes the catalog of most major bath safety brands and is updated with real-time inventory levels.
  • Provider staff can use the system from any computer, tablet or smartphone to access thousands of SKU’s from manufacturers without stocking inventory.
  • Health Mobius will set-up and manage the entire platform, oversee the online product catalog and payment to vendors, payment processing, shipping, customer service and sales tax processing for all transactions.

Health Mobius
(855) 640-9500
www.healthmobius.com

Adjustable rail allows for customizability

Tub RailTub Rail

  • This intuitive, tool-free, adjustable tub rail comes with features that allow for durability and stability while in the shower or bath.
  • The white, powder-coated tub rail is constructed of steel and features a 5 to 17 inches of height adjustment. The width can be adjusted from 3 to seven 7 and can fit most tubs.
  • The rail features a stainless steel locking mechanism and non-wearing rubber pads to provide scratch-proof security.

Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare
(877) 224-0946
www.drivemedical.com

This article originally appeared in the March 2017 issue of HME Business.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Products Editor for HME Business and Mobility Management and can be reached via email at [email protected]. Sydny Shepard is a 2015 graduate of Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where she majored in journalism, public relations and new media with a concentration in marketing and management. She has worked with several for-profit and non-profit organizations to increase brand awareness through no-cost marketing tactics.

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