ease of use- bath or shower?

I haven’t bathed since about 1983 my shower is over the bath though and I told my daughter my bench mark for moving will be when I can’t get my leg over so to speak I love my morning shower and couldn’t do without it No longer a bath fan I think I changed about the same time as my duvets overtook bed making ?

Has anyone tried the low entry baths? I always shower but DH likes a bath. He's having trouble getting out - has been stuck before now - so we are thinking of installing a low entry bath. We did get a quote for a bath with a door so you can walk in but they are terribly expensive. Any advice? We live in a small retirement flat and the bathroom is rather small.

We have a bath but no shower; our bathroom is too tiny for both.
I actively dislike showering and end up a whimpering mess when I have to use one in a hotel. The main problem is my eyes. Obviously I don't have my specs on so can't see well. I wash my hair and get water and shampoo in my eyes so they blur even more and sting. Then I can't see to shave my legs and wobble about washing my feet. In my bath this is a relaxed and enjoyable process, though I wash my hair at a different time. I have no problem getting in and out of the bath, and dread the time I do.

When my mum got into her late 70's and found it difficult to get out of the bath without hauling herself up on the sink they bought a handrail that clamped to the side of the bath. It sufficed for quite a long time until she could no longer step over the side so we bought them a rise and fall seat which was great especially when I was having to bathe my dad after mum had gone into care. We had our corner bath removed in the main bathroom a few years ago and replaced with a corner walk in shower which is excellent. We still have a bath in the en-suite but it's rarely used (although I suspect that will change over Christmas with 2 small children here) - I am finding it more difficult to get out of it on the odd occasions I have decided to have a bath. I'm not sure I'd want to get rid of it completely but if we moved and that was the choice against a walk in shower I'd definitely go for the shower.

polly I'm like you, love my bath, and since breaking my leg last year use the method you describe to get out - I was horrified when the hospital suggested I remove the bath and change to a walk-in shower. It will be a very sad day for me when I can't have a bath! I rather fancy those ones you sometimes see in films which are sunken, so you step down into them... I suspect my little flat isn't suitable though!

I bath daily with no problems. I'm 73. But i have no problems with arthritis or joints etc. However I do find getting out more problematic sometimes on holiday when there's no hand grips or the bath is very narrow. At home I manage from a sitting position to raise myself slightly and get one leg under to half kneel and with the hand grips I can then haul myself up! I'm careful to hold on too when climbing out, having fallen dramatically once - about 20 years ago when I leapt out like a young gazelle and misjudged!! Since then have been very careful!

With me, it depends on the kind of bath it is. Normal baths don’t present a problem, but we were in a hotel in Norfolk last year which had the most beautiful bathroom. A full length walk in shower, and, in the middle of the room a very deep, very modern freestanding white bath. Which I got into okay, but couldn’t get out of! I sat there stranded like a little pink jelly baby trapped in half a hard boiled egg, until DH came and rescued me!!

It would be interesting to know the age of those of you who find they can’t cope with getting in and out of baths safely. I’m wondering if there is, in general terms, an age where this problem becomes more pronounced.

When we had our bathroom updated recently, I looked for a bath with slightly lower sides than normal, as I had had a TKR and knew I wouldn't be able to get in and out easily. We also chose hand grips in the bath and one on the wall. After a gardening session this morning, a soak in the bath was just what I needed, but getting in and out is not a pretty sight. I get in, turn round, kneel down, then sort of slither round until I'm sitting down. Reverse the process for getting out. It works, but I do use the hand grips on the bath for support, and I can now do it without flooding the floor.

I do miss my bath! We've still got one but I can't get in it - or out - unfortunately so I have to use the shower. The upside is that it's quicker to shower but oh! I would love a good soak. A swim in a pool is NOT the same.

I'm a shower devotee. However on a recent holiday there was a lovely bath in our bathroom. I'd been walking more than usual and really fancied a soak. Disaster! I just couldn't get out of it. I couldn't pull myself up properly and my leg muscles are not what they were after my new knee op. Poor DH had to come and help. So embarrassing and upsetting (for all concerned!). No more baths for me.

“Upthread”!!

I don’t like power showers - they make my skin hurt too. I mentioned unthread that we were having a new bathroom fitted and we now have a full length walk in shower with a large rain head, and a separate hand shower which is quite powerful and, I may say, worth its weight in gold. To say we never used our bath, however, there were a couple of times, when it was lying in a skip in the drive, that I would have dearly loved to be soaking in it !

When we were down-sizing one of the things that sold our present house to me was that, although it is a very small property, the bathroom had a stand alone shower cubicle and also had a bath. Since moving in 6yrs ago we have always used the shower and had a really strong power shower fitted but recently DH who is in his mid-80's has developed various illnesses and finds the shower sore on his skin so the bath is in use for the first time but we are so glad we kept it. It is one of those low plastic baths and being used to a substantial steel bath in previous houses we both said we would never use it but DH really does enjoy his bath!

That does sound rather nice Anya ?

Polly I can stand on one leg easily to wash my feet, but if you can’t, put a soapy sponge on the shower floor and wipe your feet on it.
Use a shower cap if you don’t want to wash your hair.

I know this is an old revived thread, but just remembered that when I lived in France, my apartment had a walk in bath. You opened the door, sat on a ledge and your feet were at a lower level. Then you closed the door and filled it up with water.

And no, it didn’t leak. We’re going back a long time here but, it was actually very comfortable.

I can see that I'm in the minority! Bu I really think a bath is easier. Tell me how you stand on one leg and wash under your foot without falling over? Or wash anything without getting your hair wet? (I dont like to wash my hair too often - I think it gets greaser if washed every day.)

We had a shower put in so that we could have an extra toilet (on my wish list since 1972) and I don't miss the bath unless I have been gardening. When we go on holiday I like to have a room with a bath as a treat.

Have just enjoyed a long hot shower....wonderful, and leaves you feeling energetic not sleepy (unlike a long hot bath!)

The choice of having a bath or a wetroom/walk in shower is all down to how difficult a persons mobility actually is.

For example I cannot get in or out of a bath due to my mobility so the question is answered for me.

We have a long length walk in shower with a single panel glass screen and it is the best thing we had installed.

We would have chosen the wetroom route but they are more suitable for ground floor fitting and the cost of having one upstairs meant we elected for a long length walk-in shower. Actually if and when we come to sell our house I think it might have been the better option .

One word of caution. The shower is slippy as I found out at a cost as opposed to the wetroom vynil covering which is very safe . Make sure from day one you have an appropriate non slip mat .

I hate showers and have a bath every day - not a long soak but a quick bath (usually.) But when I'm extra tired and I need a relaxing soak a shower just doesn't do it for me. I find it really hard to wash the lower part of my body adequately aprt from anything else! Fortunately I can still get out of the bath fairly easily , in my 70s.

Alina- my sisters MIL has a bath with a door. She loves it.

I love my bath, every night, enjoy a good read and soak. When I broke my leg last year I was desperate to be able to get in and out of it - I'm sure that speeded up my recovery!

We are getting to the stage of considering the fact we really need a seperate shower rather than over bath electric one. But we love a soak in the bath and would really miss that (we dont have room for both), so it did cross my mind to ensure a lovely short break away every month to make use of a bath! (Nice food, relaxing and sightseeing as well of course). Might be expensive though lol.

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