Step Through, Not Over the Tub with Tubcut®

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Tubs are wonderful for soaking.  They also do a good job of containing water when they are used as a shower. So what’s not to love about a tub?

There is getting up off the floor of the tub for one thing.  If you aren’t able to get a foot up under yourself to stand you may be reduced to using your arms to lift your buttocks all the way to the side of the tub, or rolling over the side of the tub.   Seriously, does anyone think that is a fabulous idea?  At any rate, finding a way to soak in a tub and still get in and out safely is a discussion for another day.

Even if you don’t want to soak, you simply want to get inside the tub to shower, you still have to contend with the side of the tub.  We often increase safety by providing grab bars to support people while they lift their legs over the tub.  This works only if the person can comfortably and safely lift their foot up and over 15” or more on a potentially wet surface.   We can provide equipment like tub transfer benches so people can sit and then swing their legs over the side of the tub.  This works too, as long as the person can flex their hips and extend their knees enough for the job and if there aren’t obstructions like toilets to work around.   There are many things that accessibility designers like Home Access Solutions, Inc.  can do to help people get in and out of the tub without actually changing the tub.  Sometimes the tub itself is too big an obstacle to safety and 15” or more is just too much to ask people to handle.

Many of our clients need a shower, but a full blown remodel to replace their tub with a shower isn’t the best answer for them for one reason or another.   We have been recommending Tubcut®  as the option for these clients for years and making sure they were served well by the local dealer.   We are so excited that we were fortunate enough that at the time we were prepared to offer the service ourselves, the opportunity to work with the inventor Virginia Piper and obtain certification presented itself.   Home Access Solutions, Inc. will now offer Tubcut® in the same extended areas that we provide SureHands ceiling based lifts – All of Nebraska and the Western portion of Iowa.

Tubcut® is a process to convert a tub to a walk in shower by removing a portion of the sidewall.  The area is reinforced and sealed.  This can be done on any tub material and dimension as it is a customized process, not just a single piece slide on cover.   The Tubcut® is also unique in that the process can be reversed.   A homeowner or facility can save the piece that is cut out and we can restore the tub later for re-sale or a new tenant.   The basic kit is used with a shower curtain, but we can also convert a unit for use with shower doors.

Reducing the need for a person to lift their feet over 15 plus inches will dramatically reduce the risk of falling.  We can also add grab bars from our extensive collection to further increase safety when people step in and out.   Combine that with hand held showers and bath seats or tub transfer benches, and we can make sure that a person can shower very safely without worrying themselves or their families.   Tubcut® truly rounds out the options we can offer to help people increase safety and function with the everyday activity of bathing.