For The Media

April 30th, 2009

SAFETY TUBS TESTIMONIAL

For more information:

Nora DePalma
O’Reilly/DePalma
(770) 772-4726
nora.depalma@oreilly-depalma.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“It’s Wonderful to Sit Down and Bathe”

Arthritis Sufferer Remodels Bathroom to Improve Accessibility, Trades Shower Struggles for Walk-in Tub Independence

Lafayette, GA — Unable to stand in the shower or at the bathroom vanity, arthritis sufferer Arlene Moncrief found relief in remodeling.

“It’s wonderful to sit down and bathe,” Moncrief said of the bathroom renovation that included replacing her flooring, shower, vanity and medicine cabinet with new fixtures that fit into her existing bathroom space and enabled her to retain independence for her personal care.

According to the AARP report, “Beyond 50.03,” the right equipment is increasingly important in helping people to maintain independence. The percentage of surveyed people 65 and older with physical limitations who have been able to use special equipment rather than be aided by more than doubled in the 20 years between the mid-1980s and 2003, from 9% to 20%.

Once a nurse who provided home health care, Moncrief is acutely aware that being able to bathe without any assistance makes a significant difference in one’s quality of life. “I know what it’s like. I used to do home health care and I cared for my elderly mom and mother-in-law,” she said. “It makes a huge difference in your outlook to be able to care for yourself without any assistance.”

Moncrief’s medical training also raised her awareness to the fact that hydrotherapy has reportedly benefited arthritis sufferers. According to altMD.com, the warm, swirling waters help increase blood flow and reduce muscle tension, which in turn helps ease joint pain. The Safety Tubs brand model that Moncrief and her husband selected enables Moncrief to be comfortably seated and immersed up to her neck in a tub that fit into the same space as her previous tub/shower.

Friends helped Moncrief and her husband renovate the bathroom in their log cabin home in 2007. Among the changes the Moncriefs made to their home:

  • Replaced the carpet with a wood floor
  • Installed a lower vanity and a lower medicine cabinet
  • Replaced the tub/shower with the Safety Tubs walk-in whirlpool with handshower
  • Tiled the bathroom walls and ceiling

“I can just sit and use the shower or I can fill it up and use the bubble and water jets,” Moncrief said of her new bathing options. “Even my seven-year-old granddaughter loves it!” Moncrief specifically noted that the Safety Tub drain, which empties up to eight times faster than conventional drains and eliminates the discomfort that occurs while waiting to exit. “It drains faster than my old, regular bathtub,” Moncrief marveled.

The bathroom remodel is all the more remarkable because the handy friends who did it for the Moncriefs are a 74-year-old and his 82-year-old assistant. “They did a great job on our porch,” Moncrief explained.

Keeping homes safe and accessible for all ages might just make the youth culture as outdated as Moncrief’s old bathroom.

Resources:

AARP Independent Living Research

altMD.com hydrotherapy and arthritis findings