For householders of all ages, choosing between a shower and a bath can be an important decision. While most baths will come with a shower attachment, this is less easy to access than a walk-in shower. That may be a matter of simple convenience for most, but an accessible shower can be a great choice for those with limited mobility.
This kind of choice also becomes more important when space is at a premium, as it may be that having a walk-in shower means there is no room for a bath. That may also be true if space in the bathroom is needed for other items to aid mobility, such as somewhere to ‘park’ a wheelchair.
Luckily, there is plenty of guidance out there to highlight the pros and cons of the different options, not least how accessible a walk-in shower is compared with a walk-in bathtub.
Other issues like cost and space used are certainly important, while there may be further significant elements to consider. For example, anyone with epilepsy will be safer with a shower should any attack occur, as the water will always drain away and remove the risk of drowning that could arise with a bath.
Finally, when issues of finance are considered it is important to think not just about the one-off cost of installation, but also the longer-term costs involved.
In particular, surges in gas and electricity costs have led to large rises in energy bills, which many disabled and elderly people will find challenging to pay. Age UK recently said it was “bitterly disappointed” to learn that the energy cap will rise by 54 per cent in April, arguing that the measures offered by the government to help deal with the higher bills is not sufficient.
However, because showers use much less water than baths, this can at least bring some benefits, as less water will need to be heated for a hot shower than a hot bath.
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6 April,2022
