Help Seniors Maintain Their Independence at Home
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There’s something almost magical about
starting the day with a warm soothing soak in the tub.
A nice bath not only allows us to feel and be at our
best, it gives us the strength and confidence to get
the most out of each and every day. And as we get older,
a rejuvenating bath can be just what we need to restore
self-esteem and independence, giving us comfort and
the quality of life every one of us is entitled to and
deserves.
Peggy Archibald, 73, an active senior from Ladner, B.C.
credits her morning ritual with getting each day off
to a good start. “I love to golf, dance and enjoy
dinners out with my friends,” she says. “People
would always ask me: ‘Where do you get your energy?’
Same way I always have, I’d tell them. I start
each day with a nice relaxing bath.”
October 2001 brought something
that Peggy wasn’t prepared for. “My son
Ron had been making noise about moving me out of my
house. Boy did I ever give him an earful about that,”
she laughs.
Ron worried, as many of us with
elderly parents do, that if his mother stayed alone
in her home, something bad might happen to her. “I
was touched by his concern. But to leave my home . .
. I just couldn’t imagine doing that. So many
memories . . . so much of who I am is in my house,”
she says.
The morning of October 17 started
like any other day. Peggy made herself a strong pot
of coffee and let it percolate while she read her newspaper
and enjoyed a nice bath. “When I tried to lift
my legs to exit I couldn’t get out of the side
of the bath! I tried and tried but my strength and agility
just weren’t there anymore. It was as though they
had suddenly vanished,” she says.
Lucky for Peggy, her friend Elsie
was scheduled to drop round later that day. “When
I didn’t answer the door, Elsie got worried. She
called Ron right away and he got in with his key. By
the time they got to me I had been stranded in the tub
for almost five hours.”
“That was the scariest moment
of my life,” Ron recalls. “I found Mom and
she was curled up and shaking . . . she looked terrified,”
Ron recalls. “It was such an awful thing to see
someone you love so much looking so scared.”
It was a wrenching experience
for both mother and son. “I’m not sure what
was more traumatizing -- being alone in the bath all
that time or seeing the look on my dear sweet son’s
face when he found me there.”
“I gave Mom an ultimatum
right then and there,” he says. “Either
leave your house and get full-time care or we’re
going to have to make some major changes to make things
easier for you.” Peggy refused to leave, so Ron
got busy making changes. First on the list was to order
his mother a specially-designed bathtub he had seen
in a catalogue from Premier Bathrooms.
Easy Bathe is a walk-in bath with
a side-opening door that makes getting in and out easy.
The water is temperature-controlled for complete safety,
and once closed the door seals tightly, giving you peace
of mind that it will not leak. As well as the standard
seat, there is a range of height extensions to suit
the user’s personal requirements. Its high sides
allow users to enjoy a truly relaxing soak in complete
peace. Easy Bathe is one of four walk-in tubs the company
offers.
“Our mission is to ensure
that our clients can bathe in total comfort and our
service guarantees discretion and privacy are kept,”
says Richard Barnes of Premier Bathroom.
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