Shower Benches Basics

Selecting ADA shower benches that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act

You may own a hotel, nursing home or assisted living facility and need to add showers or remodel/accessorize to improve your showers' handicapped accessibility in part by adding ADA shower benches. As a provider of ADA equipment and accessories, you might consider adding different types of approved shower benches to your inventory.

Every day, thousands of people find their shower chair is an indispensable tool. Disabled, fragile and elderly people couldn't regularly enjoy the feel of warm, streaming water cleansing their bodies without the help provided by shower chairs. If you're shifting back and forth deciding whether you should install ADA accessible showers or bathtubs, remember the following:

1. Users and their helpers find showers with shower benches much easier and safer to get in and out of than bathtubs.

2. A shower with a shower bench typically eats up less footprint space in a tight bathroom than a bathtub.

3. You can save money building an efficient shower with a stand-alone or fold down shower bench.

 

Ensure your commercial shower benches meet ADA specifications

The American Disabilities Act of 1990 ensures people with disabilities receive equal access to all public goods and services; that includes showers and bathtubs in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hotels. Before you install or hire someone else to install your commercial shower seats, verify that their design and manufacture satisfy ADA compliance criteria.
Try: Learn more about the requirements for shower stalls and seats from the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG). Visit ADABathroom.com to read more about the ADA rules regarding shower seats.

Decide which type of ADA shower seats work best for your business

From simple padded or wooden shower benches to fold down shower seats to sliding transfer benches and even roll-in shower chairs, order the product that works best with your particular circumstances. If you plan to sell shower seats, consider carrying small, light-weight folding shower seats your customers can travel with. If more than one person will benefit from the fold down shower seat you order, look for adjustable-height seats. The type chair(s) you select will depend heavily on the users' weight, muscle control and mobility. Also, take into account whether chair users are self sufficient or will receive help from aides with their showers.
Try: Check out the mobile shower chairs and other products at Accessible Environments. The company stocks white and teak shower benches along with other products. TheMedicalClub.com carries a wide variety of shower stools, chairs and benches that come with an assortment of features including adjustable height and positioning, padding, arm rests and/or shower caddies.

Go with shower bench providers that offer up lots of helpful information

Don't just go with a particular ADA shower seat because it looks like it will do the job. Make sure you get all the information you need about dimensions, construction materials, weight capacity and installation instructions before you place your order.
Try: Read more about the ADA shower seats and benches available through Accessibility Professionals. The company offers information and full descriptions of seats as well as recommendations for installation. The sliding transfer benches at uCan Health make showering easier for both the users and their helpers, and the company offers lots of helpful information on how to choose the right sliding transfer bench. Adaptive Access offers ADA-compliant wooden shower benches along with lots of pertinent information and installation tips for installing wall-mounted folding shower seats.

 

• As part of shower benches basics, never mount a folding shower bench to drywall, sheetrock, plaster, fiberglass, acrylic or other hollow-type wall surface without using an appropriate wood or steel backing material.
• Look for ADA approved shower benches with Phenolic (a hard and dense, moisture-resistant material) seat tops. Shower benches with Phenolic slats provide excellent slip resistance and drainage.

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