1. Module: Toilet and shower chairs
  2. Lesson 1: Introduction to toilet and shower chairs
  3. Topic 3 of 3

Who uses toilet and shower chairs?

Topic Progress:

Children, adults and older people use different types of toilet and shower chairs for different reasons.

These reasons are often due to:

  • Environment barriers
  • Physical abilities.

Question

1. Below are some reasons going to the toilet or washing oneself may be difficult.

Select which are environment barriers.





Click to see answer

Environment barriers are:

  • The way to the toilet or wash area is narrow, cluttered, rough or steep
  • The distance to the toilet or wash area is too far
  • There are steps into the toilet or wash area.

2. Below are other reasons going to the toilet or washing oneself may be difficult.

Select which are due to the person’s physical abilities.





Click to see answer

Physical ability reasons are:

  • A person finds sitting down or squatting difficult
  • A person cannot stand, or finds it hard to stand safely
  • A person has fallen more than once in the past year or is afraid of falling.

Read on for some examples of people who use these products and why.

Peter, a man wearing glasses, slippers and a towel around his waist, moves from a wheelchair to a shower chair. He braces one hand on the arm of his wheelchair and the other on the seat of the shower chair.

Meet Peter

Peter has a spinal cord injury and cannot move his legs. He uses a wheelchair to move around.

Peter uses a shower chair because he cannot stand up to wash himself. His bathroom is accessible. He can get there himself and transfers from his wheelchair onto his shower chair.

Aida using a walking stick with her right arm, her left arm is turned towards her body.

Meet Aida

Aida had a stroke which caused weakness on her left side. She uses a walking stick to move about.

Her limited mobility means she cannot move fast enough to get to the toilet when she needs to. She also finds it hard to sit down and stand up from the toilet.

A toilet chair placed over a pedestal toilet. The seat of the toilet chair is higher and arms provide a place to grip.

Aida finds a toilet chair with arm rests helps her. She uses the arm rests for support when she sits down and stands up.

The toilet chair is positioned over a toilet during the day, and her daughter helps her to get there.

A toilet chair with bucket sits next to a bed with the armrest nearest the bed down.

At night the toilet chair is next to her bed. This makes it easier for her to get to the toilet herself.

Aida also uses a shower chair.

In the next lesson you will learn how to select an appropriate toilet or shower chair based on a person’s needs.

You have completed Lesson one!

If you have any questions or comments, post them on the discussion forum.

  1. Module: Toilet and shower chairs
  2. Lesson 1: Introduction to toilet and shower chairs
  3. Topic 3 of 3

Discussion forum