Getting older can be a thrilling, rewarding experience. Many great things come with age, such as more freedom, privileges, opportunities, and satisfaction. In these modern times, aging is not something we have to fear. It’s simply something we must adapt to. And thanks to the latest advancements in technology, manufacturing, and construction, we can embrace the joys of aging from the comfort of our own homes. By modifying our homes to meet our new needs, we can age in place for as long as we like. And we don’t even have to give up some of the simplest delights, such as taking a long, indulgent bath. Aging in place home modifications such as walk-in bathtubs make it possible to preserve the pleasures of independence and keep living life to the fullest. Just consider the benefits of walk-in bathtubs to discover how luxurious aging in place can be.
Contents:
- What Is Aging In Place?
- What Are Walk-in Bathtubs?
- Which Features Do Walk-in Bathtubs Offer?
- How Do Walk-in Bathtubs Help Us Age In Place?
- Where Can We Find the Best Walk-in Bathtubs?
What Is Aging In Place?
If you’re not familiar with the term, aging in place means continuing to live serenely and safely within your own home even as your physical abilities change with age.
Aging in place allows you to avoid relocating to an assisted living facility or the home of a loved one because you can’t take care of yourself anymore. Specifically, aging in place home modifications empower you to maintain your self-reliance by redesigning and remodeling your home to accommodate your adjusted capacities.
Aging in place home modifications eliminate potential hazards to older people. These hazards include having to reach up high, bend down low, walk up and down stairs, turn knobs, navigate narrow spaces, endure poor lighting, or grip small objects. Because these actions can lead to serious injuries for older individuals, aging in place remodeling uses stylish, personalized renovations to remove the need for such actions.
What’s more, one aging in place modification goes above and beyond by not only ensuring your safety but also amplifying your leisure: walk-in bathtubs.
What Are Walk-in Bathtubs?
Walk-in bathtubs are what they sound like: bathtubs you can walk into. But even though the definition is simple, the reality is very impressive!
A basic description of walk-in bathtubs explains that walk-in bathtubs have a door that opens either outward or inward, enabling you to walk into the bathtub from the side instead of having to climb in from the top. The tub also includes a seat. Therefore, to use a walk-in bathtub, you open the door, enter the tub, sit down, close the door, turn on the water, and wait for the tub to fill up. Once you’ve finished your bath, you can drain the water, open the door again, and exit the tub.
These are the essential functions of a walk-in bathtub. However, some walk-in bathtubs can do so much more than that!
Which Features Do Walk-in Bathtubs Offer?
Some walk-in bathtubs are very standard with very few premiums or customizations. But others, such as walk-in bathtubs from Ella’s Bubbles, boast tons of beneficial features. For Ella’s Bubbles walk-in tubs in particular, these features include a variety of door types, accessories, plumbing innovations, and therapeutic enhancements.
Various Door Types
Ella’s Bubbles equips their walk-in bathtubs with four different kinds of door types.
The stainless steel removable inward swing door comprises brushed stainless steel and a frosted tempered glass window that grace the tub with a sleek, contemporary aesthetic. What’s more, the detachable nature of the door makes it easy to clean.
The L-shaped outward swing door with an aluminum frame affords users with mobility issues wider passage into the tub. Transitioning from a wheelchair to the smooth acrylic seat is simple. And the door’s distinct shape and outward swing enable it to clear a 21” tall toilet.
The U-shaped outward swing door also makes entry effortless by opening outward. Furthermore, it conceals the mechanical door lock system with its industrial-grade, durable plastic composite material and decorative tempered glass front screen.
Lastly, the S-class inward swing door is extra wide at the top so as to offer another type of tub with a broad entry. This tub model creates a secure and watertight door seal with a polished stainless steel lever lock.
Convenient Accessories
The convenient accessories for Ella’s Bubbles walk-in bathtubs cover everything from your comfort to the tub’s cleanliness.
If you love to sip a drink or read a book while you soak in the tub, then your walk-in bathtub experience will be that much more sumptuous with Ella’s Bubbles patented 360-degree swivel tray for holding your bathing essentials.
And you won’t have to worry about sitting in a cold seat while you wait for the tub to fill. Instead, you can feel perfectly warm and cozy with the heated backrest and seat that activates in minutes.
To ensure that the water in your walk-in tub is completely sanitary, Ella’s Bubbles walk-in bathtubs can also come with ozone sterilization. As a proven water disinfectant, ozone is the most eco-friendly, chemical-free, and green technology for eliminating numerous inorganic, organic, and microbiological bacteria as well as odor from your water.
Efficient Plumbing Systems
Naturally, plumbing is key to a functional bathtub. But Ella’s Bubbles doesn’t ask you to put up with a rudimentary plumbing system in your walk-in bathtub. Instead, they’ve utilized world-class technology to provide their walk-in bathtubs with extremely effective plumbing.
For example, Ella’s Bubbles understands that you don’t want to wait all day for your walk-in tub to drain. So, to guarantee that you can get out of the tub as soon as possible, they’ve upgraded their walk-in bathtubs with dual drain technology. With two 2” gravity-driven drains with 4 outlets (2 overflows and 2 openers), this drainage system is the fastest and most reliable in the industry. Depending on the tub size, condition of your house drain, and the configurations, draining your walk-in bathtub could take as few as 50 seconds!
Another brilliant approach to plumbing that Ella’s Bubbles takes with their walk-in bathtubs is the Auto Purge System. The Auto Purge System spares your walk-in bathtub from mold and clogs. The system does so by blowing access water and bacteria from the hoses. Auto Purge automatically activates shortly after you finish your bath, so it also leaves you with nothing to worry about.
Finally, Ella’s Bubbles knows that you can’t have a truly blissful bath if you endure thermal shock or scalding. Therefore, they’ve developed a Thermostatic Control Valve that regulates the temperatures of the water before it reaches your faucet. By blending hot water with cold water, the Thermostatic Control Valve produces a constant water temperature.
Therapeutic Enhancements
Ella’s Bubbles believes that a top-notch walk-in bathtub should pamper both your mind and body. For this reason, Ella’s Bubbles walk-in bathtubs can come with a host of helpful and healing therapeutic enhancements.
Four strategically placed jets facilitate an independent hydro foot and calf massage. You can enjoy this massage by simply filling the footwell of the tub. But if you want more massage action, you can fill the entire tub in order to encounter 14 hydro jets. With the rejuvenating hydrotherapy massage these jets supply, you can minimize arthritis, muscle pain, and joint pain. What’s more, to really maximize your tub’s massage capabilities, you can interact with 16 deliberately placed air jets. By pulling in air and blowing it into the water, these jets generate an extremely gentle air massage.
To take the health benefits of your walk-in bathtub beyond that of massage, Ella’s Bubbles also presents Infusion™ MicroBubble Therapy. By infusing pressurized water with billions of minuscule, oxygen-rich bubbles, this therapy moisturizes and exfoliates. It also detoxifies and relieves skin-related issues.
One additional way Ella’s Bubbles walk-in bathtubs care for you inside and out is by incorporating LED Chromatherapy as well. As individual wavelengths of light are believed to have different healing properties, Chromatherapy relies on multi-colored lights to promote a harmonious experience.
How Do Walk-in Bathtubs Help Us Age In Place?
There are several reasons why walk-in bathtubs are among the most highly recommended aging in place home modifications you can make for your bathroom.
Walk-in bathtubs permit older users to bathe without having to step or climb into a large, slippery basin of water. Because you can walk into a walk-in bathtub and sit down while the tub fills, you don’t have to risk tripping, slipping, or falling. Such accidents are much more detrimental to individuals of advanced age. Therefore, preventing these accidents is critical for aging in place successfully.
What’s more, all the walk-in bathtubs from Ella’s Bubbles possess aging in place safety features of the highest standards, such as:
- Built-in molded seat
- Fast-fill faucets (for reduced fill time)
- Fastest gravity-driven dual drain technology in the industry (for reduced drain time)
- Low step-in threshold
- Wall- and deck-mounted safety grab bars
- Wide entry
Now, you can also evade the hazards of self-cleaning with a no-threshold shower. But walk-in bathtubs are much more agreeable for people who can’t stand in the shower for very long. And walk-in bathtubs can also come with all the aforementioned therapeutic enhancements, outfitting them to impart many health benefits to older people.
Specifically, air and hydrotherapy jetted walk-in bathtubs can bestow powerful relief for the following physical issues:
- Amputation
- Diabetes
- Edema
- Fibromyalgia
- Hypertension
- Lupus
- Parkinson’s
- Scoliosis
- Strokes
- Hip pain
- Knee replacements
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Slow circulation
- Injury from falling
- Discectomy and laminectomy
- Rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis
- Use of canes, walkers, or wheelchairs
By granting you the means to engage in such healthful activities in your own home, a walk-in bathtub becomes a must-have aging in place home modification.
Where Can We Find the Best Walk-in Bathtubs?
To receive the most impactful and elegant aging in place home modifications, you should work with a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS). A CAPS has the knowledge and training to establish which aging in place home modifications your house needs. Plus, they can tailor these modifications to match your tastes so that your house stays beautifully true to you.
At BenchMark Home Services, a CAPS leads our team of professional home remodelers. Therefore, we are your best source for aging in place home modifications in northeast Ohio. And with our aging in place expertise, we believe that Ella’s Bubbles crafts the best walk-in bathtubs on the market. So, we’ve partnered with Ella’s Bubbles to bring these tubs to you. Learn more about Ella’s Bubbles amazing products today so you can secure your ideal walk-in bathtub!
