How to Keep Water from Flowing Out of Barrier Free Showers

How to Keep Water from Flowing Out of Barrier Free Showers

Barrier free showers are a great addition to your home if you have disabled family members living with you. For those who have limited mobility owing to old age or handicap, these showers are a useful aid for bathing or showering in privacy. The inbuilt safety features make them quite safe for independent use by handicapped people who need constant supervision for several other activities.

Why is there a risk of leak in barrier free showers

The basic design of these showers includes a facility to roll in wheelchairs to transport the disabled user from the outside into the shower stall or bathtub. The curb which usually prevents water from flowing out of the normal shower is absent in these models. This enables easy movement of the wheelchair into the stall.

Those who have restricted mobility, though not requiring wheelchairs, also benefit from avoiding the need for stepping over the curb. This prevents any accidents, which may occur due to tripping over the obstruction.

But the lack of a curb also allows the water to leak out of the shower area. When the user steps out onto the wet floor outside the shower, there's a possibility that he/ she may slip and fall. An effective solution must be found to prevent water from leaking out of the shower to prevent such accidents.

Shower curtain

For those who have a shower curtain, containing water inside the shower area may require some minor adjustments in using the curtain. Drape the curtain on the inside of the stall or tub before you turn on the shower. This will make sure all the water drips from the shower curtain only inside the stall. It also ensures that no water is sprayed out of the stall to wet the external floor. If you do not find this solution completely effective, consider these options:

Ramps

Ramps help in easy transportation of the wheelchair bound person into the shower area. These are inclined boards made of wood or metal designed to bear the weight of a wheelchair with a person in it. They are easy to set up wherever required, are sturdy, durable and come with skid free surfaces to prevent the wheelchair from slipping when rolled over it. You can find ramps that fold up into a vertical barrier at the mouth of the shower. With such ramps, you can easily roll the handicapped person into the shower stall or bath tub. Simply put up the inclined portion of the ramp to form an effective barrier against the water inside.

Collapsible water dam

The collapsible water dam is an innovative invention to prevent water leak from the shower area. The dam is made with flexible material, which causes no injuries even if it is stepped upon. In fact, the dam simply collapses to floor level under pressure and springs back into position when the pressure is removed. When a wheelchair is rolled over the dam, it flattens itself and then comes back to original position to bar the exit way once the wheelchair is inside.

Most of the accidents involving elderly people in the US involve a fall on slippery flooring or tripping over obstacles. Barrier free showers are specially designed to avoid such accidents while the disabled user is bathing or showering. Using the additional accessories discussed here will make these showers even safer for users by preventing accumulation of water at the entryway.

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