The Tub King Blog - Tub Talk: August 2014

DOES YOUR BODY NEED A WALK-IN TUB?

Take the Test

By Kerry Knight

How do you know when it’s time to consider owning a walk-in tub? Is it decided solely by age? What about by type of Illness or maybe even injury? How about a loss of vision of just that you want more privacy?

Often times, when people come into our showroom they look at our Walk-in Tub models and remark, “I don’t really need that yet. Maybe one day.” Sometimes it’s because they don’t want to spend the money yet. Others just don’t want to admit their age or physical condition.

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a way to objectively know when it's time to get a walk-in tub? Well, we have developed a questionnaire that makes the decision process much easier than just guessing. Take a couple of minutes to answer these questions and evaluate whether or not your body and mind could really benefit from the use of a Walk-in Tub.

DO YOU HAVE TROUBLE GETTING INTO AND OUT OF YOUR EXISTING TUB? This might well be the number one reason most are in need of the Walk-in Tub. As we age, our knees and joints are not as fluid as they once were. Stepping over the side of a tub that could be as much as an 18 inch hurdle becomes a real challenge. The Walk-in Tub has a very slight 6 inch step up to enter, plus a solid structure to hold onto while doing so.
HAVE YOU FALLEN RECENTLY? Every year, one third of the population aged 65 to 69 will take a serious fall. Two hundred of these falls will result in a hip fracture. The Walk-in Tub is designed to eliminate falls in the bathroom. The slip resistant floor of the tub, the interior grab bar, the solid tub construction, and the low entry threshold all work together to create an atmosphere of safety.

Tub King Walk in Tub Testimonial

ARE YOU AT THE POINT WHERE SOMEONE ELSE HAS TO BATHE YOU? We all love our independence. We want to do for ourselves, especially when it comes to taking a bath. Those who require others to wash their bodies feel a sense of loss of pride and dignity. The Walk-in Tub allows you to take a bath without someone else having to be involved in this private part of your life. It is one of the real highlights of owning a Walk-in Tub.
HAVE YOU RECENTLY HAD SURGERY THAT REQUIRES SOME REHAB? Talk to anyone who has gone through a loss of motion injury or surgery and they’ll tell you how painful and difficult the rehab process can be. The air jet hydrotherapy system that comes with the Walk in Tub can help greatly in the healing process, pain relief and stimulating the circulation. Water therapy has been used for millenniums for this very purpose.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM TIRED ACHING MUSCLES? Whether you have had an injury to the back, knees, neck or any other part of the body, the Walk-in Tub can offer soothing relief. The water jetted system produces a massaging action with warm water pulsing against the area of discomfort and reducing or even eliminating the pain.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM ARTHRITIS, FIBROMYALGIA OR OTHER

Walk In Tubs can provide real
enjoyment and health benefits

DISEASE OF THE JOINTS? The warm water, hydro action and water jet action can really be a great way to soothe the joints and get you feeling better.
DO YOU SUFFER FROM STRESS AND HEADACHES? Just sitting in the soothing warm water can greatly reduce stress, neck ache, and headaches. Place a towel behind the neck, lean back, and go to your happy place. Push a button to engage the jets and find nirvana.
ARE YOU IN YOUR LATE FORTIES OR EARLY FIFTIES AND GETTING READY TO REMODEL YOUR BATHROOM? If you’re in that pre-retirement window and you’re getting ready to remodel your bathroom, realize that remodeling often requires changes to the plumbing and or adding/removing of a tub, etc.… You can save the construction cost charges by installing the walk-in tub now, instead of 10 years from now. The bonus is that you get to enjoy it now instead of later and save the future costs.
DO YOU LOVE A SITTING IN A JACUZZI AFTER RUNNING OR EXTENSIVE EXERCISE? After exercising, there is nothing like relaxing in a spa and letting the warm water, the hydro bubbles and water jets relax and help you get centered again.

If you answer YES to any of the questions above, you should really consider the Walk-in Tub. It’s a matter of choosing to live a better life and has nothing to do with age.

In this article I have provided a questionnaire that helps people determine if they should consider buying a walk-in tub. The questionnaire was developed from the many reasons presented to us by our customers who purchased walk in tubs. Answering these questions will help you determine if a walk-in tub is in your near future. Now all you have to do is pick the best product and vendor. We hope you take the time to shop our Tub King products. We offer a guaranteed lowest price and highest quality plus provide free shipping in the lower 48 states.

Walk in Tub Buyers Guide

If you found this article useful, please share it with your friends and co-workers. If you have a comment related to this article, leave it in the comment section of this blog. If you’d like to receive a FREE Walk-In Tub Buyers’ Guide, click here. Have a question? Feel free to contact me at the number or email listed at the end of this article and I’ll personally get back to you. It’s been my pleasure sharing this information with you.

Thanks again for visiting with us.

Alan and Kerry Knight are the owners of Tub King, Inc., and SeniorBathtub.com in Jacksonville, Florida. Together they have many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. Their companies not only provide superior products, they are also award winners, receiving the “Best of Jacksonville Chamber Award” three years running. If you’d like to contact them, call (800) 409-3375 or (800) 843-4231; or send an email to alan@tubking.com.

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An Enthusiastic Senior Is Eager for Her New Walk-in Tub

By Kerry Knight

It’s been years since I’ve seen as much excitement over the design of a bathtub. I’m talking about the new Walk-in Tub and how it is affecting our senior population. Last evening, a Sunday evening by the way, I received a phone call while I was eating dinner. A woman from Kansas was interested in purchasing one of our Walk-in Tubs. She was bubbling over with excitement after seeing our website advertising. I tried asking her several questions relating to the installation of the tub and tub sizes, but she was drowning me out with enthusiasm. So, I shut up and let her talk. Her excitement stemmed from several areas:

Easy Access and Exit – She explained she’d already fallen more than once in trying to get into her conventional bathtub. “I can’t lift my leg that high anymore,” she lamented. The idea of having a low entry of six inches into and out of the tub and a door that was water tight thrilled her. (FYI: The frequency and dangers of seniors falling in their bathrooms are a serious health concern. Read our previous blog, “The Dangers of Bathtubs – Falling is a Family Matter.”)

Safety Features – She loved the idea of having a slip-resistant floor and seat, along with the interior grab bar. The higher sides of the Walk-in Tub gave her an additional sense of security.

ADA-compliant Seat – She’s in her ’70s and is now having difficulty walking. “It’s also hard for me to stand for any length of time to shower,” she pointed out. Just the thought of being able to sit down and use the Walk-in Tub’s handheld shower wane was deeply gratifying.

Hydro Air Jets – She told me she’d had problems with neuropathy in her feet. She read about how the Walk-in Tub’s built-in air jets create thousands of therapeutic bubbles that help stimulate blood flow and reduce pain. “I‘ve been waiting a long time for this,” she said, the eagerness evident in her voice over the phone.

Water Jet Massage System – She also had pain in her lower back and knees. The water jets (each water jet port’s direction is adjustable, as is the overall force of the water) can target those areas and massage the pain away. “I think I’m going to be spending many happy hours in my tub,” she said. “This is one item that I’m moving from my ‘luxury’ to my ‘necessity’ list.”

Built-in Water Heater – The water heater will allow her to stay in the tub longer and the water temperature will provide heat therapy to soothe muscles and will complement the hydro and water jet therapy that are included.

Ergonomically Designed – The faucet, drain, handheld shower wane, air-jetted hydrotherapy controls, water-jetted whirlpool massage controls and inline heater controls are all within easy reach.

Bathing in Privacy – Sadly, many seniors who don’t have Walk-in Tubs are relegated to needing an assistant help them bathe (and do other activities). This could be a family member or healthcare worker. The woman I was speaking with said “I especially value my privacy and my freedom, and I want to keep both as long as I am physically able to do so.”

After hearing her comments, I wanted to hire her. She seemed to know almost as much about our tubs as I do. She explained she’d been reading about them for some time, but didn’t think she could obtain one until she saw our affordable pricing. “How can you sell them for so much less than the others?” she asked. I told her that when we first starting marketing the Walk-in Tub several years ago, we wanted to offer a product at a price that people could afford, without skimping on quality. “But there are some companies that are charging three to four times what you are!” she added. I told her we’re well aware of that fact, but we probably sell more tubs as a result of our competitive costs.

She finished our conversation just as enthusiastically as she’d started it by saying, “I’ll definitely be calling you back to order one. Let me move some funds around first. You’ve really made my day. I’m so glad I found you.”

Yes, she may have interrupted dinner, but calls like that, I appreciate any time. I’m sure when she has her walk-in tub installed she will be calling back to thank us again.

In this article, I shared with you a conversation I recently had with a perspective client who liked the advantages of our Walk-in Tubs. We discussed the numerous advantages a Walk-in Tub has over conventional bathtubs, especially for seniors, and those who, like the woman I’d spoken with, had several health concerns that would be effectively addressed by having her own.

Walk-in Tub Testimonial

Alan and Kerry Knight are the owners of Tub King, Inc., and SeniorBathtub.com in Jacksonville, Florida. Together they have many years of experience in the antique and senior bathtub industries. Their companies not only provide superior products, they are also award winners, receiving the “Best of Jacksonville Chamber Award” three years running. If you’d like to contact them, call (800) 409-3375 or (800) 843-4231; or send an email to alan@tubking.com.

The Danger of Bathtubs - Falling is a Family Matter

By Kerry Knight

Normally, purchasing a Walk-In tub is a family matter, not a personal one. Why? Two reasons. First, more times than not, the actual purchase is made by the children of the senior rather than their parent. Second, when a senior falls in the bathroom, the incident typically involves their children, because they have to take their injured parent to the emergency room, arrange medical care, surgery or rehab.

Very seldom do seniors in need of a Walk-In tub come to our showroom alone. They’re often accompanied by a son or daughter. There’s one personality trait that seems to surface quite often: too much pride. Many seniors don’t want to be perceived as being “dependent.” So often I’ve heard them remark, “I don’t need that yet. Maybe in a few years.” Also, they don’t want to be perceived as being elderly. I’ve also heard them say, “That’s for old people.”

While I can appreciate why an individual doesn’t necessarily want to acknowledge they’re getting older and are therefore less agile on their feet, let me offer some rather sobering statistics:

When seniors fall, hospital stays are twice as long then when the elderly enter the hospital for other reasons
Annually, falls are reported by one third of people over 65
Two thirds of those who fall will do so again within six months
Over 9,500 deaths are reported annually for seniors who fall
One fourth of seniors will die after complications from hip fractured hip surgery within six months of the fall.

Yes, these are scary statistics, not just for seniors, but also their children. The constant worry and concern by the children is very real, especially if the parent lives in their own home or apartment by themselves, or with another elderly partner, or lives by themselves in a facility where personal care is not around the clock.

Children want their parents to have a safe place to move around in without the fear of falling. The Walk-in tub provides that in the bathroom, where most falls occur. And especially when you consider that nearly all the structures in the bathroom have hard, unforgiving surfaces such as tile floors, toilets, sinks, bath ledges – along with glass from of one or several mirrors, it’s a very dangerous environment to lose one’s footing. Compounding this reality is the very likely possibility of having water spill around the sides of a tub or shower, which also makes one even more prone to slipping and falling. The bathroom can indeed be a dangerous place for the elderly.

However, the Walk-in tub, with its waist-high, easy access entry door, eliminates the most common factor that leads to seniors falling … losing their balance when entering or exiting the tub. The slip-resistant floor and seat, along with the interior grab bar, also helps keep them from slipping. The elderly can have a renewed sense of independence, without forfeiting personal control and privacy. Also because the overall design is higher, the likely hood of having water spill over the sides is lessened.

Other features of the Walk-in tub that provide comfort to the senior and peace of mind to the children are the jetted systems that massage the body and eliminate pain that comes with many medical conditions and just aging in general. Now, instead of being a risk-related activity, taking a long, luxurious, relaxing bath is actually a very safe one.

Customer Testimonial

Recently, a daughter brought her mother to our showroom. She wanted to purchase the Walk-in tub for her because she was afraid her mother would fall… again. The daughter quietly admitted to me, “She’s so proud and bull-headed, I don’t know if I can talk her into it.” Sure enough, they left without purchasing it. It wasn’t about money. Her mom had said, “I don’t need this.” How sad.

There is a Biblical scripture, taken from Proverbs 16:18 that says, “Pride goeth before a fall.” This may be taking it out of context a bit, but the point really strikes home.

Seniors, if you don’t want to buy the Walk-in tub for yourself, think about doing it for your kids’ peace of

mind.

In this article I discussed why many Walk-in tub purchases are made by the adult children of elderly parents. I also discussed some of the reasons why bathrooms are particularly dangerous environments for seniors. I listed some sobering statistics about the implications of seniors falling, including increased morbidity rates. And I shared some of the reasons why a senior may themselves be disinterested in a Walk-in tub, even though it would highly benefit them and keep them safer.

Walk-in Tub Guide

Until next time.

Put a Walk-in Tub in Your Future Plans

By Kerry Knight

Photo Caption: http://outspokenontheath.com

We recently had a customer walk into our showroom with a rather unusual request… or was it? They wanted to purchase one of our Slipper Tubs. They loved the beautifully elegant, white porcelain and the solid cast iron exterior that was designed to last a lifetime. They chose the Slipper Tub because of the 19^th century look. With the high slopping back and large brushed nickel legs, the customer’s eyes registered “love at first sight.”

Here's the Unusual Part of this Story

Photo Credit: Walk-in Tub Guide

But that was not the unusual part. They then asked if they could also see our Walk-in Tubs. Now typically a stroll around a Walk-in tub would be considered for someone who has mobility limitations. That would include those with injuries, loss of motion, or the elderly who are more likely to fall while getting into or out of a bathtub. But this couple was still young by most standards, only in their 40s. They had no health issues, so the idea of considering a walk in around tub seemed a bit pre-mature.

No Demolition Required

Then they explained. “We are building a new home, our dream home, and we plan to be there through our senior years. It would be a lot easier to go ahead and install this in a guest room so that we don’t have to do any demolition later. It will save us money and also serve a purpose until we’re older.” The purpose they were talking about made sense. They were going to use it to relax and treat tired aching muscles. Both of them enjoyed working outside. This meant a lot of bending and stooping. Plus, if they had ever suffered some muscular injury or have to rehab after a hospital stay, it would come in very handy. So they bought both: a cast iron, porcelain Slipper Tub and a Walk in Tub.

Walk-in Tubs are not just for seniors

We are all familiar with how important it is to plan for the unknown. That’s why a smart family will invest in life insurance, disability insurance and a plan that offers retirement income. So why shouldn’t that apply to future needs in your bath. The Walk in Tub provides safety features to eliminate the likelihood of falling or even the fear of falling. They have slip resistant seats and floors, grab bars, an entry door on the tub with a low threshold. The step up is only six inches. The faucet, drain and controls are within easy reach, along with air jets, water jets, and even a heater.

The Slipper Tub For The Whole Family

The Slipper Tub they purchased would provide many years of fun and relaxation. Plus, it will also be a

Photo Credit: Calfinder.com

beautiful decoration for any bathroom. The outside can even come in colors to accent the other colors in the bath. A guest who visits will no doubt praise the beauty of their bathroom featuring their new elegant slipper tub. Their children will love it as well as future grandchildren. Kids love playing in claw foot tubs. But, when it becomes too much of a challenge for them to get in and out of that claw foot tub, then the Walk-inn Tub becomes the perfect solution.

The Walk-in tub for Their Golden Years

They won’t have to worry about having difficulty getting in and out of their walk in tub and they will most certainly be able to appreciate all the therapeutic benefits as well as the safety features as they have. And best of all they will never have to do any demolition in either of their bathrooms because they planned ahead for their golden years.

So remember, it’s not too early to plan for a perfect house. A little forethought, research and advanced planning can go a long way to making your dream home a reality. If you’re thinking about building your dream home, consider the Slipper Tub and the Walk-in Tub, they are a good match for now and later.

Tub King Walk-in Tub Testimonial

In this article, I discussed how a couple in their 40s were able to complete their dream home by planning for and adding both a Claw Foot tub and a Walk-in tub. Even though this couple was relatively young, they had the forethought to plan ahead for their golden years. I explained how a little planning and research made it possible for them to have the best of both worlds.

Until next time.

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DOES YOUR BODY NEED A WALK-IN TUB?

An Enthusiastic Senior Is Eager for Her New Walk-in Tub

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The Danger of Bathtubs - Falling is a Family Matter

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Put a Walk-in Tub in Your Future Plans

Photo Credit: Walk-in Tub Guide