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downstairs shower for elderly
Elderly parents may need to abandon the stairs. We have a good sized
downstairs utility and boiler room so removing some storage and installing a sink and shower shouldn't be too hard. I am wary of getting specialists in who will mark everything up x2 at least and thinking of specifying the requirements and hardware (enclosure, taps etc) and supervising trades myself. Where would i look to see what is available for any kind of special sanitary equipment for the elderly, and where I could get it at a decent trade price? TW |
downstairs shower for elderly
Have you thought about a second hand stairlift?
Brian -- ----- - This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from... The Sofa of Brian Gaff... Blind user, so no pictures please! "TimW" wrote in message ... Elderly parents may need to abandon the stairs. We have a good sized downstairs utility and boiler room so removing some storage and installing a sink and shower shouldn't be too hard. I am wary of getting specialists in who will mark everything up x2 at least and thinking of specifying the requirements and hardware (enclosure, taps etc) and supervising trades myself. Where would i look to see what is available for any kind of special sanitary equipment for the elderly, and where I could get it at a decent trade price? TW |
downstairs shower for elderly
On Fri, 20 Apr 2018 14:13:32 +0100, TimW wrote:
Elderly parents may need to abandon the stairs. We have a good sized downstairs utility and boiler room so removing some storage and installing a sink and shower shouldn't be too hard. I am wary of getting specialists in who will mark everything up x2 at least and thinking of specifying the requirements and hardware (enclosure, taps etc) and supervising trades myself. Where would i look to see what is available for any kind of special sanitary equipment for the elderly, and where I could get it at a decent trade price? We have a local supplier of aids for the elderly and infirm, and if you fill in the correct form you also save on VAT (or did about 5 years ago). We went for a wet room with a moulded shower tray which was part of the floor - basically a dished piece of flooring with a drain at the lowest point. The whole room was then "tanked" with a waterproof flooring which also went up the walls. What we didn't do (and should have) was put a fall on the rest of the floor so any water falling outside the shower tray would run into it. It very much depends on your local area, but with luck you will find a specialist shop which sells all manner of things including special toilets and grab rails as well as shower fittings. Remember to make the door wide enough for a wheelchair. We aren't infirm (well not much so far) but when we revamped the back of the house with included a disabled friendly wet room so we could live on the ground floor only if we wanted. There is room for a stair lift but at the moment we have a standard bathroom upstairs and a wet room downstairs. Stair lifts are O.K. but I wouldn't want to have to wait for one if I was desperate for a wee! Also, if you are wheelchair bound you would presumably have to transfer on and off the stair lift at the bottom and top plus a transfer on and off the toilet which could be more of a toil than just transferring on and off the toilet downstairs. You would probably have to convert the upstairs to a wet room as well at some point. IMHO it is more flexible to have a wet room downstairs and a stair lift as well if you want access to the upper floor. Cheers Dave R -- AMD FX-6300 in GA-990X-Gaming SLI-CF running Windows 7 Pro x64 --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus |
downstairs shower for elderly
On Friday, 20 April 2018 14:56:15 UTC+1, David WE Roberts (Google) wrote:
On Fri, 20 Apr 2018 14:13:32 +0100, TimW wrote: Elderly parents may need to abandon the stairs. We have a good sized downstairs utility and boiler room so removing some storage and installing a sink and shower shouldn't be too hard. I am wary of getting specialists in who will mark everything up x2 at least and thinking of specifying the requirements and hardware (enclosure, taps etc) and supervising trades myself. Where would i look to see what is available for any kind of special sanitary equipment for the elderly, and where I could get it at a decent trade price? We have a local supplier of aids for the elderly and infirm, and if you fill in the correct form you also save on VAT (or did about 5 years ago). We went for a wet room with a moulded shower tray which was part of the floor - basically a dished piece of flooring with a drain at the lowest point. The whole room was then "tanked" with a waterproof flooring which also went up the walls. What we didn't do (and should have) was put a fall on the rest of the floor so any water falling outside the shower tray would run into it. It very much depends on your local area, but with luck you will find a specialist shop which sells all manner of things including special toilets and grab rails as well as shower fittings. Remember to make the door wide enough for a wheelchair. We aren't infirm (well not much so far) but when we revamped the back of the house with included a disabled friendly wet room so we could live on the ground floor only if we wanted. There is room for a stair lift but at the moment we have a standard bathroom upstairs and a wet room downstairs. Stair lifts are O.K. but I wouldn't want to have to wait for one if I was desperate for a wee! Also, if you are wheelchair bound you would presumably have to transfer on and off the stair lift at the bottom and top plus a transfer on and off the toilet which could be more of a toil than just transferring on and off the toilet downstairs. You would probably have to convert the upstairs to a wet room as well at some point. IMHO it is more flexible to have a wet room downstairs and a stair lift as well if you want access to the upper floor. Cheers Dave R Failing to put a fall on the whole of a wetroom floor is a common & stupid mistake. It leads to floods. Don't do it! NT |
downstairs shower for elderly
TimW formulated the question :
Elderly parents may need to abandon the stairs. We have a good sized downstairs utility and boiler room so removing some storage and installing a sink and shower shouldn't be too hard. I am wary of getting specialists in who will mark everything up x2 at least and thinking of specifying the requirements and hardware (enclosure, taps etc) and supervising trades myself. Have you thought about installing a stair-lift? |
downstairs shower for elderly
TimW wrote:
Elderly parents may need to abandon the stairs. We have a good sized downstairs utility and boiler room so removing some storage and installing a sink and shower shouldn't be too hard. I am wary of getting specialists in who will mark everything up x2 at least and thinking of specifying the requirements and hardware (enclosure, taps etc) and supervising trades myself. Where would i look to see what is available for any kind of special sanitary equipment for the elderly, and where I could get it at a decent trade price? TW There could be government grants for this sort of thing? |
downstairs shower for elderly
On Friday, 20 April 2018 14:13:35 UTC+1, TimW wrote:
Elderly parents may need to abandon the stairs. ... Where would i look to see what is available for any kind of special sanitary equipment for the elderly A wet room is a lot easier to use if a wheelchair becomes a necessity, as a 'shower wheelchair' can be wheeled in and out. A "comfort height" toilet and space near the basin for sitting down while teeth brushing might also be useful. Screwfix et al do "Doc M" easier access stuff. Owain |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 20/04/2018 14:56, David wrote:
On Fri, 20 Apr 2018 14:13:32 +0100, TimW wrote: Elderly parents may need to abandon the stairs. We have a good sized downstairs utility and boiler room so removing some storage and installing a sink and shower shouldn't be too hard. I am wary of getting specialists in who will mark everything up x2 at least and thinking of specifying the requirements and hardware (enclosure, taps etc) and supervising trades myself. Where would i look to see what is available for any kind of special sanitary equipment for the elderly, and where I could get it at a decent trade price? We have a local supplier of aids for the elderly and infirm, and if you fill in the correct form you also save on VAT (or did about 5 years ago). Yes this still applies. We went for a wet room with a moulded shower tray which was part of the floor - basically a dished piece of flooring with a drain at the lowest point. The whole room was then "tanked" with a waterproof flooring which also went up the walls. Yes I did as well. By far the best solution. better for washing the dogs as well. What we didn't do (and should have) was put a fall on the rest of the floor so any water falling outside the shower tray would run into it. Yes I took advice from a so-called expert and didn't do that. I really regret it now. It very much depends on your local area, but with luck you will find a specialist shop which sells all manner of things including special toilets and grab rails as well as shower fittings. Get onto the council and see what they will give for free. Even if you have more than £10 in the bank they will give you handrails, a fold-up seat, etc. Remember to make the door wide enough for a wheelchair. Yes. The electrical regs say that everything in the wetroom has to be on the same circuit, even the lights. IMHO it is more flexible to have a wet room downstairs and a stair lift as well if you want access to the upper floor. That's what we did and it's a good solution. Bill |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 20/04/2018 16:15, Jethro_uk wrote:
That was my other motivation for thinking of getting a pre-made tray. It can handle the fall internally, as long as it's installed level (if that makes sense). A pre-made tray for the whole floor? Bill |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 20/04/2018 16:22, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:
There could be government grants for this sort of thing? Means tested which ****ed me off. Paid a mint in tax all my life but they wouldn't give us a cent toward the ramp, the stairlift, or the wetroom. Bill |
downstairs shower for elderly
Bill Wright wrote:
On 20/04/2018 16:22, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote: There could be government grants for this sort of thing? Means tested which ****ed me off. Paid a mint in tax all my life but they wouldn't give us a cent toward the ramp, the stairlift, or the wetroom. Bill Sounds about right for the Land Fit For Heroes. If you had a black face things could be different. There are far too many white British people in this country. But slowly and surely this is being changed. |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 20/04/18 14:32, Brian Gaff wrote:
Have you thought about a second hand stairlift? Brian Yes, and it's a good thought, although it's a cottage (albeit a new staircase in an old cottage) and could be complicated by beams, old, walls etc. TW |
downstairs shower for elderly
TimW formulated on Saturday :
Yes, and it's a good thought, although it's a cottage (albeit a new staircase in an old cottage) and could be complicated by beams, old, walls etc. TW There are models of stairlift which will fix the rail on walls, or onto the stairs. If there are no bends in the stair, installation is very easy. |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 20/04/18 14:58, Jethro_uk wrote:
On Fri, 20 Apr 2018 14:13:32 +0100, TimW wrote: Elderly parents may need to abandon the stairs. We have a good sized downstairs utility and boiler room so removing some storage and installing a sink and shower shouldn't be too hard. I am wary of getting specialists in who will mark everything up x2 at least and thinking of specifying the requirements and hardware (enclosure, taps etc) and supervising trades myself. Where would i look to see what is available for any kind of special sanitary equipment for the elderly, and where I could get it at a decent trade price? TW Are there any religious objections to a wetroom ? If not, that's probably the easiest (and most future-proof) solution. Especially as thanks to modern shoebox housing, they are a non-aids-and-adaptations area of DIY/ Building. Starting to look into fitting one for SWMBO ... AFAICS the key element will be the tray/floor. I know there are cut'n'seal options (if you've ever seen a hospital shower room). But given my luck with anything liquid, I'd prefer a complete moulding. a wetroom : - as recommended by many. I just baulk at the idea of removing the boiler (which stands on the floor in the corner), excavating the floor, digging through to sewerage outside, relaying CH pipes (don't they have to be accessible?), rewiring someone said, retiling the whole room... Blimey, I thought I would just stick in a low profile shower tray. TW |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 21/04/18 09:46, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
TimW formulated on Saturday : Yes, and it's a good thought, although it's a cottage (albeit a new staircase in an old cottage) and could be complicated by beams, old, walls etc. TW There are models of stairlift which will fix the rail on walls, or onto the stairs. If there are no bends in the stair, installation is very easy. Ta. This merits further research. TW |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 20/04/2018 14:56, David wrote:
and if you fill in the correct form you also save on VAT (or did about 5 years ago) But they just bump up their ex-vat price by the same amount, so your VAT 'saving' is their increased profit. |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 20/04/2018 20:49, Bill Wright wrote:
On 20/04/2018 16:22, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote: There could be government grants for this sort of thing? Means tested which ****ed me off. Paid a mint in tax all my life but they wouldn't give us a cent toward the ramp, the stairlift, or the wetroom. Divorce her, leave her with nothing, let her claim the grant and then remarry her. The money saved will pay for the honeymoon:-) -- Adam |
downstairs shower for elderly
In article ,
TimW writes: On 21/04/18 09:46, Harry Bloomfield wrote: TimW formulated on Saturday : Yes, and it's a good thought, although it's a cottage (albeit a new staircase in an old cottage) and could be complicated by beams, old, walls etc. TW There are models of stairlift which will fix the rail on walls, or onto the stairs. If there are no bends in the stair, installation is very easy. Ta. This merits further research. Second-hand stairlifts are cheap because there are lots around. -- Andrew Gabriel [email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup] |
downstairs shower for elderly
In article ,
TimW writes: Elderly parents may need to abandon the stairs. We have a good sized downstairs utility and boiler room so removing some storage and installing a sink and shower shouldn't be too hard. I am wary of getting specialists in who will mark everything up x2 at least and thinking of specifying the requirements and hardware (enclosure, taps etc) and supervising trades myself. Where would i look to see what is available for any kind of special sanitary equipment for the elderly, and where I could get it at a decent trade price? People like BES sell some: https://www.bes.co.uk/plumbing-suppl...ers/grab-rails After a few incidents in the family which ended up in hospital, we had a good chat with the hospital-based social services team, and they gave lots of excellent advice. They also provided frames to go around the toilets to give you arm rests for when you sit and stand back up. When visiting the hospital, I took the opportunity to look at detail at the disabled toilets and fittings. The disabled toilets at my current client has a toilet which looks somewhat like a sit-down bath which I've never seen before. I think it's basically a bath you can take a **** in and then hose out. -- Andrew Gabriel [email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup] |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 21/04/2018 20:48, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article , TimW writes: Elderly parents may need to abandon the stairs. We have a good sized downstairs utility and boiler room so removing some storage and installing a sink and shower shouldn't be too hard. I am wary of getting specialists in who will mark everything up x2 at least and thinking of specifying the requirements and hardware (enclosure, taps etc) and supervising trades myself. Where would i look to see what is available for any kind of special sanitary equipment for the elderly, and where I could get it at a decent trade price? People like BES sell some: https://www.bes.co.uk/plumbing-suppl...ers/grab-rails Amazingly, grab rails like this are the one bit of kit for the disabled which doesn't get a silly mark-up. I fitted a couple to my horse van to make it easier to clamber in the back. After a few incidents in the family which ended up in hospital, we had a good chat with the hospital-based social services team, and they gave lots of excellent advice. They also provided frames to go around the toilets to give you arm rests for when you sit and stand back up. When visiting the hospital, I took the opportunity to look at detail at the disabled toilets and fittings. Excellent advice, been there done that! The disabled toilets at my current client has a toilet which looks somewhat like a sit-down bath which I've never seen before. I think it's basically a bath you can take a **** in and then hose out. |
downstairs shower for elderly
on 21/04/2018, Andrew Gabriel supposed :
Second-hand stairlifts are cheap because there are lots around. They are also robustly built and get little usage before they are pulled out. There are companies who buy and 'refurbish', but they pay not much more than their scrap value for them. |
downstairs shower for elderly
Jethro_uk submitted this idea :
Stairlifts - unless you are paying $$$$$ require that a person in a wheelchair transfer to use them (and there's a corresponding free wheelchair at the other end of the destination). They are mostly helpful for those with some mobility, but who might struggle with stairs. Rather than sourcing from a 'refurb' company, take look on ebay from private sellers. There are always plenty on there, people find they no longer need them or move into a house with one fitted and remove it - they fetch very little money, compared to original cost. |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 21/04/2018 09:49, TimW wrote:
There are models of stairlift which will fix the rail on walls, or onto the stairs. If there are no bends in the stair, installation is very easy. Ta. This merits further research. My mother had one fitted she's got 2 steps up from the hall followed by 180 degree return up the main stairs then another 180 degree return via 1 step to the landing. The unit is "free standing" and is screwed directly into stairs (through stair carpet) and floor so no wall or banister attachments. The local company came along, measured up then had about 4 weeks wait for the track/rails to be custom made. Cost around about £4k and works brilliantly. Next step was to then change upstairs bathroom into a full wet-room so no shower trays etc. Also prolonging Mums ability to stay at home, and every week at home is £1k out of the pockets of the local care home. :) |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 20/04/2018 22:07, Jethro_uk wrote:
On Fri, 20 Apr 2018 20:47:12 +0100, Bill Wright wrote: On 20/04/2018 16:15, Jethro_uk wrote: That was my other motivation for thinking of getting a pre-made tray. It can handle the fall internally, as long as it's installed level (if that makes sense). A pre-made tray for the whole floor? Bill Yeah ... I got the impression from a cursory look that there are firms that would supply them. It's an interesting thought. Our middle floor wetroom has a flat floor except for the tray and I'm thinking of making the bathroom on the top floor into a wetroom. I deffo want some slope on the whole floor. Bill |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 21/04/2018 11:02, Andrew wrote:
On 20/04/2018 14:56, David wrote: and if you fill in the correct form you also save on VAT (or did about 5 years ago) But they just bump up their ex-vat price by the same amount, so your VAT 'saving' is their increased profit. No they don't because you shop around. Bill |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 21/04/2018 16:24, Jethro_uk wrote:
On Sat, 21 Apr 2018 11:02:23 +0100, Andrew wrote: On 20/04/2018 14:56, David wrote: and if you fill in the correct form you also save on VAT (or did about 5 years ago) But they just bump up their ex-vat price by the same amount, so your VAT 'saving' is their increased profit. If it were just 20%, it'd be understandable. But quite a lot of "aids and adaptations" seem to have double or treble mark ups. I've got a right bee in my bonnet about this. I first realised what a scam it was when, many years ago, my mother's scooter needed two new batteries. The disability firm rung me back and quoted a price. Alarmed I rung the main specialist battery firm in Sheffield. They quoted exactly half, and the man remarked, "Funny thing, that's the second enquiry I've had in the last half hour for those particular batteries." We paid £790 for a small scooter that was was on sale in town for £1,899. We paid £1,950 for a big scooter that was on sale in town for £3,999. Bill |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 21/04/2018 09:47, TimW wrote:
a wetroom : - as recommended by many. I just baulk at the idea of removing the boiler (which stands on the floor in the corner), excavating the floor, digging through to sewerage outside, relaying CH pipes (don't they have to be accessible?), rewiring someone said, retiling the whole room... You don't tile a wetroom. You fit 8 x 4 boards on the walls, made for the purpose. You glue them to the walls. They have to be done after the floor, so they overlap the flooring as it curves up the walls. You can leave the old tiles on. Bill |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 24/04/18 03:09, Bill Wright wrote:
You don't tile a wetroom. I did. Both. They work just fine -- "What do you think about Gay Marriage?" "I don't." "Don't what?" "Think about Gay Marriage." |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 24/04/2018 07:52, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 24/04/18 03:09, Bill Wright wrote: You don't tile a wetroom. I did. Both. They work just fine But there's no need, so you wasted your time. Bill |
downstairs shower for elderly
On 22/04/2018 10:16, Jethro_uk wrote:
On Sat, 21 Apr 2018 21:14:12 +0100, newshound wrote: On 21/04/2018 20:48, Andrew Gabriel wrote: [quoted text muted] Amazingly, grab rails like this are the one bit of kit for the disabled which doesn't get a silly mark-up. I fitted a couple to my horse van to make it easier to clamber in the back. Because they're sold for what they are - tubes with screw holes. Which is why you pay VAT on them. The ones I have bought have been quite nicely engineered, perhaps because of the bad press if they gave away. But I still think they don't attract the customary mark-up (perhaps because they are mostly sold to savvy buyers). |
downstairs shower for elderly
Bill Wright wrote:
On 24/04/2018 07:52, The Natural Philosopher wrote: On 24/04/18 03:09, Bill Wright wrote: You don't tile a wetroom. I did. Both. They work just fine But there's no need, so you wasted your time. Bill Just occasionally, I find, aesthetic considerations play a part in diy! -- Roger Hayter |
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