The Tub King Blog - Tub Talk: Old age

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

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.

Until next time.

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 Kerry@tubking.com.

By Kerry Knight

X-ray image of my own hip, with top of femur broken (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There is a frightening reality that every senior needs to be aware of because it can easily happen to anyone over age 65. More importantly, there's an easy way to prevent this from happening. If you're 65 or older, this information is of vital importance to you. It’s not necessarily a pretty picture, but a subject that needs to be examined and taken to heart.

Among older adults, falling is the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries. A serious look at the issue of falling could very well save your life, or at least extend the quality of your life. Consider the following:

Each year, one in three adults, age 65 or older, falls. The resulting injury resulting from that fall can be moderate to severe. Injuries range from bruises; cuts; and fractures of the hip, forearm, spine, neck, leg, ankle, pelvis, upper arm, hand or even more serious results such as head trauma. Any of these can increase the risk of early death. In 2010, 21,700 older adults died from unintentional fall injuries.

Courtesy of spie.org

In 2010, 2.3 million non-fatal fall injuries among older adults were treated in the emergency rooms and more than 662,000 of the patients were hospitalized. Reports from that same year estimated that direct medical costs from falls were $30 billion.

Men are more likely than women to die from a fall. The fall rate is 40% higher for men than women. People age 75 and older who fall are four to five times more likely than those age 65-74 to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer.

In 2000, 46% of fatal falls among older adults were due to traumatic brain injuries.

Many people who fall, even if they're not seriously injured, subsequently develop a fear of falling. This fear may cause them to limit their activities, which could reduce their range of mobility and create loss of physical fitness, thus again increasing their actual risk of falling.

To make matters worse, it's easy to get sick when you're in the hospital. I've heard countless stories where people were admitted to the hospital for a broken bone, only to die from an infection they contracted in the hospital!

Fortunately, there are certain guidelines seniors can follow to reduce the dangers of falling:

Residents of the Century Village Retirement
Community Gather Around Pool for Daily
Exercise Session. (Photo credit: The U.S. National Archives)

Have your doctor review your medications and over-the-counter drugs. Especially look for side effects that could cause dizziness or loss of balance.
Develop a regular exercise program, especially one designed to make your legs stronger.
Have your eyes checked regularly by a professional.
Eat balanced meals and take supplements with your medical provider's supervision.

Make your home safer.

This last step is something that seniors can do for themselves. The most common location for falls in the home is the bathroom. The reasons are many.

Because the room is small and the walls are closer, it creates the illusion of being safer. However, the problem is there are many obstructions in the bathroom, such as the sink, the toilet, door knobs, rugs, shower curtains and especially the bathtub or shower.

The floor in the bathroom can become slippery, especially if it’s tiled. Stepping into or out of the tub is where most falls occur. Older adults often assume they have the same flexibility they once had and end up missing the mark.

Poor eyesight may also cause a misstep. A brief loss of balance can be fatal … literally. The surfaces in the bathroom are normally “rock hard.” Porcelain and cast iron are the most commonly used, and they don’t give upon contact.

The senior Walk-In Tub is a tremendous benefit for seniors for two major reasons:

It allows them to be independent in bathing themselves.
It provides many safety features to keep them from falling.

The seat and floor of the Walk-In Tub are slip-resistant. There is a handy grab bar inside the tub and other grab bars that can be placed around the tub. There is a water-tight door, with a very low step-in threshold. The senior can close the door, lock it, and sit down while bathing. There is a hand-held shower sprayer for rinsing and easy-to-reach controls. Other options could include air jetted hydrotherapy for treating many medical conditions. There’s also a water jetted whirlpool capable of massaging away aches, pains, and soothing tired muscles. The inline heater allows one to stay in the tub without the water getting cold.

Tub King Walk In tub Testimonial

Falls are serious, but there are steps seniors can take to make them far less likely. Create a list of things to make your environment a safer place, and you’ll live a longer and more independent life. Especially in the bathroom, investing in a Walk-In tub can be a real life saver.

In this article, I discussed several serious statistics about seniors falling and how these mishaps adversely affect one in three seniors over age 65 each year. I provided a list of preventative measures, which include installing a Walk-in Tub. I also discussed the various safety features and benefits seniors derive from having Walk-in Tub. I also talked about the advantages of a Walk-in Tub, including the various safety features and benefits that seniors benefit from having a Walk-in Tub.

Intro to Walk In Tub Buyers Guide

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