These use a rechargeable battery to power the lifting motor. The battery must be recharged regularly. Some have a safety system which will not allow the seat to lower to the bottom of the bath if there is not enough remaining battery power to raise the seat fully to the top again. Some have an emergency stop mechanism.

Bath boards may not fit baths with irregular shaped sides, corner tiling etc. If this is a problem then a wall-mounted bath board may be an option. The user would sit on the seat from the outside of the bath and then rotate their body and legs over the side of the bath. These baths have a door in the side or front that you can step through to walk into/out of the bath. Although there are no high sides to negotiate, there is a low step beneath the door. Full length baths with a door are available, but will then require you to be able to sit down/get up from the bottom of the Image of a walk-in bathThe Swivel Bather fits on any standard bath, no fixtures or fittings are required and the unit is easily removed when not required. Baths are available which incorporate an integral swivel seat that lifts you up, over and down into the bath. The seat may include a leg raising mechanism to lift your feet over the bath rim. Most have a moulded seat, limiting your ability to recline. If these options are not possible, a bath lift is often trialled. This raises to the top of the bath where your sit on it and swing your legs over. You then press a button on the hand set and it lowers you down. When finished, you press the button to raise it up, swing your legs over the edge of the bath and stand up. The battery is completely safe in the water and is charged off the mains in another room with a charger that plugs into the wall much like a mobile phone charger.

It does not include a frail elderly person who is otherwise able-bodied or any person who is only temporarily disabled or incapacitated, such as with a broken limb.‘personal or domestic’ use means that the supply must be made available specifically for the use of an eligible individual.The effort of you pushing down, the hydraulic piston and the water buoyancy is enough to raise you up to the rim of the bath. You would need arm strength and flexibility, plus good core stability and strength, to use a hydraulic bath. The bath has to be empty before you enter it and then filled when you close the door. When exiting, the water needs to be drained before you open the door. This filling and drainage causes a delay during which you may become chilled, so consider keeping the bathroom well heated during use.

The board may be perforated or slatted, so that water drains away easily, and can be made of different materials, such as solid or padded plastic, wood, metal or cork. In general, padded boards or seats will provide greater comfort and feel less cold. Part of the rail can be fixed at an angle of 13 degrees upwards towards the head end of the bath to provide an inclined support. Bath steps provide a step-like platform on the outside of the bath, lessening the height you need to lift your legs to get into the bath. The base frame is made from avery robust aluminium and is non slip with non marking rubber ends.The aluminium frame is non corrosive and has a plastic blow moulded seat which is not just robust but also easy to clean.

The ideal bath seat

There are several options that can be considered to enable a person to access bathing facilities safely. If you access OT services through the NHS or Social care, they will look at the most cost effective solution to meet your bathing needs. This will begin with looking at the bathroom. If you have a standard bath with an over bath shower, you will likely be required to trial a bath board or swivel bather which give you safe access into the bath by sitting on them and swinging legs over. You would then stay sitting on it to use your over bath shower. Grab rails can also be fitted to the wall.

Grab rails will give you secure anchor points with which to steady or manoeuvre yourself. Grab rails in a bathroom should have a ribbed or textured surface to give extra grip when wet. However, they are not suitable for people who have difficulty keeping their balance, and they will not help you to lift your legs out from a deep bath.

Reference Documents

Plastic covered foam cushions can be used to line the bath to make someone who is frail more comfortable, or to increase your safety if you have involuntary movements. Shaped cushion inserts are also available for some of the moulded plastic bath seats and lifts. Ensure that the wall is strong enough to take the weight of this type of rail. Care should be taken that you never bend down underneath the rail (e.g. to reach your feet) when sat in the bath as you could trap your head under the rail.