More information about TheraTub's safety features:
Why owning a walk-in tub is important:
Falling is the leading cause of injury or death among people aged 65 or older.
The bathroom is the most dangerous place for older Americans, with more falls occurring as they get in and out of the shower than anywhere else.
The majority of hip fractures among older adults are caused by falls.
At least one person every day dies from falling in the shower or bathtub that doesn’t have a walk-in tub installed in their home.
Medical costs of slipping and falling in the United States are more than $2 billion a year.
Why traditional tubs and showers are dangerous:
Traditional bathtubs and showers are not designed with the needs of older people in mind, nor people who have movement problems. Unlike walk-in tubs, with a regular tub, you have to take a big step to get in or out of the tub, a bigger step than someone with limited mobility can easily do. If the bottom of the tub or the floor on the other side is wet because of your shower, you can very easily slip and fall. Your risk is even greater if you have a hard time balancing, lifting your legs or moving.
Traditional tubs often come with sliding glass doors, something walk-in tubs do not need. These doors look beautiful, but they can be dangerous. If you slip while in the tub, you can crash into the glass, which causes even worse extensive injuries.
Finally, traditional tubs are designed with the assumption that you are going to stand in them to shower. People who tire easily, have arthritis or other painful conditions or those who can’t balance well while standing have a great deal of trouble with a traditional shower or bath. They may even slip if they stand for too long.
Why folding chairs don’t work in the bathtub:
A folding chair is not meant for the shower or bath and it might start to slide while you are on it, leading to accidents. Plus, if you have certain medical conditions, it may be just as hard to get in or out of the tub as it is to stand while using it; this can lead to accidents too. They will also rust and then break without any prior warning. With a walk-in tub you do not need the safety hazard of using a folding chair in the tub.
How the TheraTub walk-in tub helps:
At TheraTub, we use a patent-pending frameless design that allows you to have a much safer bathing experience than any other walk-in tub!
Lowest step-in available
Walk-in tubs with step-in heights of over 4” don’t help you if you can’t step in easily. All TheraTubs come with an industry low step-in height of only 2″, even less in certain circumstances, so you barely have to lift your foot in order to get into the tub. This significantly reduces the risk of a slip or fall.
Safe and easy-to-use door design
We’ve gotten rid of the shower glass doors, which are not only dangerous, but difficult to operate. A significant number of falls occur when a person is trying to open those doors without success or slip and fall through them. Our TheraTubs have one easy-to-open door handle attached to the door. The door itself comes with an aviation-grade rubber seal that doesn’t let any water in or out and it is mounted on a one long and very sturdy, piano style hinge. So, you don’t have to worry about slipping on the wet floor outside your tub once you are finished with your bath or shower. The door also has a winged design that allows you to open it while seated on the built-in contour seat, reducing the risk of falls while opening the door.
Custom placed safety grab bars
Despite the safety improvements of the TheraTub itself, some customers may need extra support while getting in or out of the tub. We offer you the option of up to three custom placed safety grab bars with our walk-in tubs. We install them at the heights that you request, so that you can hold on no matter how tall or short you are. If you have a caregiver helping you with bathing, he or she will be able to use the safety bars along with you to help you get safely in or out of the tub.
Anti-slip surface
The floors of the TheraTub are coated with an anti-slip material to further reduce the possibility of falling. In addition, our walk-in bathtubs come with a built-in, ADA compliant, 17″ high contour seat. This makes it easy for you to get in and sit down. If you prefer to stand, the seat offers extra support as you are getting into the tub, making it less likely that you will slip and fall.
Quick draining system
If you fall in the tub, it puts you at risk of drowning should the tub still be full of water. To reduce this risk, we designed our walk-in tubs to drain in less than two minutes. That way, if you slip while on the way out of the tub, it’s less likely that you will drown. In addition, less water in the tub reduces the risk of slipping on your way out. Our quick draining system also allows you to not get cold as water slowly drains out like other walk-in tubs.
Anti-bacterial and anti-mold components of the TheraTub:
In addition to falling, you are at risk of getting seriously ill if your tub doesn’t stay clean enough. In order to reduce this risk, we’ve included several anti-bacterial and anti-mold components to all of our TheraTub walk-in tubs.
Auto jet purging system
Our jets won’t spew mildew or mold into the tub when you first turn them on. In our walk-in tubs, we have installed an auto purging system that dries the lines after each use, so that mold and mildew can’t grow.
Anti-bacterial gel coating
All of our walk-in tubs are coated with upper marine-grade, anti-bacterial gel which prevents mold, mildew and bacteria from growing on the tub.
Ozone water purification system
Our optional water purification system for TheraTub is similar to that used by bottled water companies to make sure your water is clean.
