Bathing is so important, yet it can be one of the most difficult things to do. Whether you find it difficult getting in and out of the bath or washing yourself easily, there are many mobility aids available that can make bathing easier.

Here is a guide to some of the equipment that is available.

My bath was already fitted with grab rails at the top, but they didn’t really help me get into the bath. I bought a rail that stuck up about 12″on top of the bath. It fixes on to the edge of the bath, and makes a very sturdy handle that gives me support at the right height for climbing into and out of the bath.

Bath steps and bath step stools make the distance you have to lift your leg up to get into the bath much shorter. Another advantage of these steps and step stools is that they are portable and can be used to stand on in other areas of the house, and make things much safer when you need a step-up.

If sitting down in the bath is difficult; a bath stool might be useful. These have suckers on the bottom so they don’t slip and often come in several heights. The lower ones keep you high enough off the bottom of the bath, but low enough to still be able to enjoy your bath. The higher ones can be used to sit under the shower or if you need a bath chair that leaves you sitting higher up.

Bath boards are a good alternative to shower or bath stools. These sit across the top of the bath from one side to the other. They secure tightly, and I think they feel very safe. They are really good if getting into the bath is difficult as you can often slide on from sitting on the edge of the bath. This is actually my favourite piece of mobility equipment for the bathroom, simple to use and does not take up valuable space in the smallest room in the house!

If a bath seat or stool is not suitable, a bath lift might be. These can be hydraulic, electric or inflatable and gently and slowly lower the you down into the bath, and back up again. They are especially useful if you need someone to help you into the bath. This way they do not need to lift you at all.

If your shower has level access, there are many wheeled shower chairs available. These can be self propelled, or attendant propelled.  Some have a convienient shape cut out of the seat so you can wash yourself properly. This kind of chair can often also be used as a commode chair over a toilet. In this case once piece of equipment can be used for two purposes.

Once you are in the bath or shower there are many gadgets that can help assist you with washing. These range from long handled sponges to toe washers. They reduce the need for reaching and twisting, so make washing a much less physical activity.

Transfer boards make it easier to get from one surface to another. The two items need to be of very similar height. Boards are generally used to get between two of the following:

• bed
• wheelchair
• chair
• toilet
• commode

The type of transfer board that is right for you will depend on your ability and what you need the board to help you with. Some can be used independently and with some you would need assistance, but all of them require some upper body strength.

How do they work?

• You sit on one end of the board, with the other end resting on the item you want to transfer to. You then slide across. Some have sliders, hand holes or are curved.

Slider transfer boards

• These boards have a disc that can slide from one end to the other. You sit on the disc and slide across. They make transferring frictionless. They are ideal if you have little strength to push yourself along the board.

Boards with hand holes

• Some transfer boards have hand holes cut into them. They are designed to give you an easier grip when using the board and for getting it into position.

Curved transfer boards

• These are also known as ‘banana boards’ due to their curved shape.
• Their shape means you can alter the angle which can help when transferring into a car or in a space limited place like a bathroom.

Commode transfer boards

• Commode transfer boards have a shape cut out of them at one end. This means you do not have to remove the board when you have used one to transfer to the toilet or commode.

Discs and turners

• Transfer discs are really useful for the car or when sitting on a chair. They mean you can swivel around with little effort. They help people with arthritis, or if you have leg or back problems.
• Generally, turners are a larger mobility aid. When seated you place your feet on the disc at the bottom. Then you stand up, holding on to the handles of the turner. Your carer can then turn you around safely, until you are in position to then sit down safely on the other surface.

Transfer boards often have non slip pads on the bottom to give you extra stability and peace of mind. They also wipe clean easily.

When I was in hospital, they said an Occupational Therapist would come and see me once I was home. At first I couldn’t even say the word – it seemed like a tongue twister to me! I had no idea what they did, or that they could help me at all.

Once she came out to the house I changed my mind completely.

Mary was just brilliant. I showed her around my home and showed her how I did everything I needed to do. From getting up in the morning to making meals. From doing household chores to even things like switching the TV on.

We then sat down and she went through how I could do some of these things in an easier way.

Sometimes it was a case of just being organised, other times she had an idea for a gadget that could help me.

These are some examples:

Bed leaver – this really helps me get in and out of bed without needing my carer so much.

Pick up grabber – I call this my litter picker, as it’s just like the ones you’d see Council Workers with picking up litter from the side of the road. I use it to save me bending down to pick things up that I’ve dropped.

Bath stool – I often avoided having a bath and had a shower instead. But to be honest I really prefer a bath. It was just difficult getting in and out. With the bath stool, I am not sitting on the floor of the bath so it is now so much easier. I already had a grab rail above the bath which was good – at least I was doing something right!

Riser chair – I didn’t really think I could get one for my front room, and certainly didn’t know where to get one from.  I sometimes found it really hard to get up out of my chair. With this one, I press a button and it lifts up the back of the chair, and helps me get up. It is just like the ones in hospital – but looks much nicer!

I’m so glad Mary came to see me. She came back to see how I was getting on. To be honest things are much easier. I don’t think I was seeing the wood for the trees. She helped me see the easy way of doing so many things that I was making so difficult. The mobility aids she suggested were great. Not everything worked for me, but most of it did.

When I 1st needed to use a wheelchair I thought life would be easier. I had new mobility equipment a wheelchair and I was ready. I thought getting around now would be a piece of cake. However, I didn’t think about how I was going to get into my house when I got out of hospital!

The step into the house wasn’t that big, but when my wife was pulling me and my wheelchair up over it – I realised we needed a ramp and quick! My brother is a joiner and he made a temporary ramp for me out of wood. I must say, it did the trick. My wife didn’t need to be a weightlifter to get me into the house anymore. But I wanted something a bit more professional looking!

There were so many to choose from:

• threshold ramps
• broad ramps
• suitcase ramps
• channel ramps

This is my run down of what they are:

Threshold ramp
These are short ramps that you put up against a door frame. Usually inside the house. If you have double glazed doors, they have a lip at the bottom. Unless you are brilliant at wheelies you need a ramp to get over them yourself! I have one from the dining room into the conservatory and at the back door. The conservatory one goes up at one side over the lip and down the other side. It stays there all the time. The door doesn’t close while it is there, but it doesn’t matter as it is inside the house. At the back door however, it needs to move for the door to close. This is OK as the ramp is really lightweight – it is only fibre glass.

Broad ramps
These are designed to take a whole wheelchair or a 3 wheel scooter. Obviously a 3 wheel scooter can’t use a channel ramp, as the front wheel has nothing to use! You can get ones that fold up, so you can store them easier, or put them in the car. Some even roll up. They are great for getting up a step, or raised landings. They are bigger than a threshold ramp, so are not so steep.

Suitcase ramps
These generally fold up or come apart, but have handles on them (hence the name) so you can carry them easily. They are designed to be highly portable. They can be used for scooters or wheelchairs.

Channel ramps
These come in pairs. One ramp for the left side of your wheelchair or 4 wheel scooter and one for the right. Again you can get folding/portable ones for getting you into a vehicle and for easy storage.

I think you need to ask yourself an important question before you buy a ramp:

It may sound obvious but… What do you need the ramp for?

• Getting you and your wheelchair in and out of buildings.
• Using your wheelchair or scooter inside buildings.
• Getting a mobility scooter into the car.
• Something else?

You also need to ask:

Do you want a portable ramp that you can take away with you?
Do you have a step or door that you want a ramp on permanently?
Do you have a step in the garden that needs ramping?

Tips

Backwards or forwards?
I have a threshold ramp at the back door. It is great, but I find going backwards makes it much easier. As it is a quite short ramp, it is quite steep, therefore big wheels 1st is the best way to go!

A person to help you
If you are using a ramp for the 1st time, sometimes it is not a practical one. I used one where there was a threshold ramp, but there was still a lip at the top. I needed someone to help me at the top – I would have been stuck otherwise.

It is also helpful to have someone around when you are getting used to the ramps in your house. Sometimes they are not positioned quite right, or it is just plain scary the 1st time you use it!

Going down
Make sure you take care when going down a ramp. Especially ones on the outside of buildings. It is easy to go far too fast and either tip at the bottom or crash! Go as slowly as you can.

As my MS started to get worse, my walking became a joke. As I walked I looked drunk. You have probably heard many people with MS say they look drunk when they walk. I really hated this. People avoided me, I felt really stupid.

I didn’t want any ‘help’ with walking, as I felt that this was giving in. In hindsight, though this was an understandable reaction, it didn’t help me at all. A friend said I really should get a walking stick.  I thought walking sticks were for old people not people like me in their late 20’s.

I bit the bullet though. Falling over so much and walking like a crazy woman inspired me. I went to a mobility shop. They couldn’t have been more helpful. I didn’t feel out of place there. They understood exactly what I needed.

I came away with a folding walking stick. It could fold up into my bag when I didn’t need it. When I did need it, it was fantastic. It steadied me enough to stop me falling over. It gave me more confidence when I was walking outside. Most importantly to me, I no longer looked drunk when I walked. I looked like I had a problem with my leg instead, and there is no shame in that!

I opted for a folding walking stick as that suited me perfectly. I could carry it with me at all times, but not have to use it if I didn’t want to or need to.

They came in lots of different colours, but I chose a simple black one. (Though I did jazz it up with tinsel at Christmas!)

It had a handle on the top which fitted my hand perfectly and made it really comfortable to use.

Having the walking stick really did change my life. My Multiple Sclerosis had begun to take over. I was beconing reluctant to leave the house as I knew I would fall over, as my balance was very poor, and my walking was difficult cumbersome and slow. The walking stick helped me regain my independence. It gave me confidence, and I began leaving the house a lot more. I couldn’t walk far, but when I was walking, I felt much more stable and more sure that I wouldn’t hurt myself by falling again.

If I had to carry bags, I just used a ruck sack. This kept my hands free, for using my stick, and kept my balance much better, as I wasn’t lobsided.

All in all, what felt like a step backwards was a move in the right direction.

I need to use a bed lever to help me in and out of bed, and I thought I would pass on my thoughts of what is good and bad about it.

A bed lever is a simple aid. I always called it a bed grab rail, but it’s not really a rail. I suppose a ‘bed grab arm’ describes it best. It is an L -shape, the bottom bit is a wooden baseboard and slides under the mattress. The upright bit is coated metal and makes a rounded handle that sticks up about a foot above my mattress.

It makes transferring from a wheelchair to the bed much easier. You need to have to be able to weight bare, as to use it you need to stand and turn a little. You grab hold of it, like you would grab hold of someone’s arm to transfer into or out of bed. It means I do not need help to get into and out of bed.

Pros

• It makes transferring into bed, much easier and safer.
• I am much less likely to fall; now I use the bed lever.
• As it is a barrier at the side of the bed, it makes me feel that I am less likely to topple out of bed when I turn over!
• It gives me more independence at bedtime.  I do not need to rely on carers as much.
• It is very sturdy as it slides under the bed so it feels (and is) very secure.

Cons

• Like most mobility equipment it is a little unsightly. However it is less intrusive than most aids I’ve seen! And at the end of the day, the most important thing is that it helps me.
• Sometimes it gets in the way when I want to reach to my bedside cabinet, or get something from the floor.
• Sometimes it needs repositioning, which requires lifting up the mattress a little and moving the lever. You need lots of hands to do this so I usually need help.

Overall, I think the bed lever is a great product. It is quite discreet. It is really useful, and makes transferring into and out of bed so much safer. Of all the mobility aids I have, this and my mobility scooter are probably the most useful ones I have.

I had been using a traditional walking frame (Zimmer frame), but found that it was making me walk much slower than I really wanted. I found it very frustrating. I was advised that a rollator might be more suitable as it has a more smooth movement, instead of stop start, stop start.

I have bad rhumatoid arthritis, and my walking is difficult and painful, I wanted something that gave me security from falling around the house. Outside, I tend to use a wheelchair, but inside I want to avoid this if I can.

The rollator seemed a good idea, but there are so many to choose from. These were the points that I found really useful.

• I measured the doorways in my house – (all of them, just incase any were different!), the rollator had to fit through the doorways, and some were much too wide.
• The height had to be adjustable, I am very tall at 5′8″, and didn’t want something that hurt my back, or made me stoop.
• A basket was important, as I need to carry things about at home. If I am holding the rollator, the rollator needs to hold things for me.
• Easy grip brakes were important. You can get models that have brake handles designed especially for people with problems using their hands, like arthritic attachments.
• Some rollators fold up smaller than others. Bare this in mind if you need to put it in the car, or away in a cupboard.
• The weight also varies greatly, models seem to start at about 5kg. If you need something lighter, try a walking frame – some come with wheels too.