Adaptive Bath Seat Helps Keep Vacation Fun, Not Frustrating

February 15, 2001|By Mona Hughes, Sentinel Correspondent

The sun came out today, and the first thing I thought about was a vacation. The second thing that came to mind, as it does for many of us living with mobility problems, was accessibility. Then my mind jumped to the one thing I find so frustrating -- accessible hotel and motel rooms with practically nonexistent accessibility to bathrooms.

I'm lucky I'm still able to walk short distances and can get into a bathroom, but I need adaptive equipment for use in the tub because I can't stand to take a shower and many of the affordable motels don't offer bath stools.

There are many types of bath stools you can carry with you, but they're often cumbersome and usually too heavy for me to tote around. But I came across a new device that just might fill the bill for me and others. And as I've said before, necessity, the mother of invention, was the impetus behind its development.

William Ingram of Guntersville, Ala., was caring for his aging father after his back surgery, and Ingram had problems helping his father bathe. The existing shower stools just weren't working for them for a variety of reasons. Most require the user to scoot across them, which can damage skin, or were difficult for the elder Ingram to access.

That's when the son developed a bath seat that allowed easy access to slide Dad into place from the side of the tub. He called it the Versa Bath Seat.

The device worked so well for him in caring for his father that he decided there might be others who would benefit from it and worked with experts to improve the material used and the safety factor of the seat.

The Versa Bath Seat is portable and weighs just 12 pounds. It offers accessibility to almost anyone who wants to take a shower on his or her own, and it saves the caretaker from injury while helping with this activity.

The device has two legs that fold down for support in the tub, and they can be adjusted to fit the depth of most any tub. The opposite side of the device has fold-down flaps that lock on the outside of the tub to stabilize it, and the seat slides across the base.

The seat will also rotate in either direction to accommodate reaching the faucet on the tub. Once you slide the seat over to the center of the Versa Bath Seat, you close the shower curtain and you have your privacy.

Additionally, there is a built-in bidet placed down the middle of the seat, for ease of personal cleansing.

However, just as is the case with any new product for the disability community, the price may seem high. The Versa Bath Seat costs $399.95 plus shipping. Its travel bag costs $50.

As the customer base increases, the price is likely to go down. And because this device will be a boon to aging baby boomers, reported to be retiring at a rate of about 1 million a year, they may find that acquired disabilities from a variety of reasons will have them buying this product to allow them to travel in their retirement.

If you are interested in knowing more about the Versa Bath Seat, you can reach the company at 1-800-455-3101. They've promised me they will sell the seat for $349.95 and the traveling bag for $35 if you mention my name during the next 60 days. It might be a good time to check it out if you are planning a trip this summer. Planning ahead is important for anyone in the disability community to ensure vacation is a joyful event, not a trip of frustration.