Is there a portable bathtub?

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Is there a portable bathtub?

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My gran loves to take baths. We had to move her down to the main floor because we (my mom and I) could no longer get her up and down the stairs. We do not have a bath on the main floor.
She has a sponge bath every day, but she really misses her bath. Personal support workers are not allowed to help us get her upstairs.
Any ideas?
Thanks

Bathing Hygiene Mobility Product

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I have a portable bath I bought on Amazon. It’s a plastic tub supported on an aluminum frame. Actually I use it inside my tub, because my tub is so damn shallow, I wanted one deep enough to soak in, which this one is. It was about $100 I think. Search on Amazon for foldable tub. You’d have to set it up on water safe flooring and have some place to drain it to, but it is free-standing.

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It’s summer, so if you have a deck of some type, OP might be able to set up this type of portable bath like this outside, with some ‘modesty screens’. If the frame is collapsible, the water could just go through the floor or over the edge. I think a hotel would be better, but this is something else to think about.

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Have you considered a 'stair lift'?
Pretty expensive but might be cheaper than installing a bath downstairs.
Perhaps, if you have some VERY good friends or neighbours (or both!), you could lean on them for support - once or twice a week should suffice but do take a gift to say thank you...

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I had never heard of a portable bathtub for adults so I looked it up on amazon.com. They even have inflatable ones for under $100. I would read the reviews very thoroughly, but looks like an interesting option.

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We were ready to buy stairlift but Occupational Therapist advised against it. He said my gran isnt mobile enough to use stairlift.
On very good days she can partially support her weight on her legs and with alot of support she can walk 40 feet
Other days she is too tired and is like a floppy doll. She flops to the side also when seated.
Im not 100% confident in our OT. Do you agree about stairlift?

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If she flops to the side when seated, think about what will happen if she's riding on a stairlift chair traveling UP a staircase! Please follow the OTs advice and do not attempt to transport your grandmother up stairs on a stairlift!!!!!!!!!!

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The people at our local adult day care can use the facility spa tub, you might ask if a similar service is possible in your area.

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A 'portable bathtub' would require, in my opinion, superhuman effort to fill and to drain. Think about an inflatable children's pool outside and the level of time and attention that's required to fill and to drain IT. Then think about what would be required to fill and to drain a tub big enough to fit a full sized adult inside of it, in your kitchen, and you'll have your answer. It's not reasonable to believe you can accommodate such a thing for your grandmother. Perhaps you can drive her over to a facility spa tub, as cwillie suggested, which is a MUCH more reasonable way to facilitate such a request. Otherwise, you may just have to accept the fact that her bath days are now over.

My 95 y/o mother had an issue where she was leaning way over to the side in her wheelchair as well, which sounds like what your grandmother is doing. We believe mom's leaning issues were due to small strokes she was having. Such leaning made moving her quite difficult/impossible, and dangerous as well, b/c dropping her would be very likely. Dead weight is hard to manage. Use extreme caution when even thinking about trying to place such an elder into a bathtub, or getting a chairlift, or doing anything out of the ordinary. Safety is the #1 goal when an elder's mobility is compromised, meaning what they 'want' is secondary to what safety dictates.

Good luck.

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By "facility spa tub" do you mean ones that is in a care facility? I would be extremely surprised if they'd allow a non-resident to use it. Too much liability risk for the facility plus they'd need their own staff on hand to help you figure out how to use it. But, it never hurts to ask...

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is it worth renting a hotel room on a first floor and taking her there once a month for a bath? see if they are handicapped accessible. We have a place with a room designed for handicapped, wider bathroom etc.

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our stairlift has a seatbelt, fyi. you can help her get on and mom could be at the stop to help her off. mom and I use it all the time to send our laundry up and down, and groceries for the cellar fridge.

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@Becky139, I had never even considered that portable bathtubs might exist, but after reading Geaton777’s comment that they are available on-line, and then reading of TopSailJanet’s positive experience with using one, I think maybe you could make this work out for your grandmother.

Yes, you will need to put a lot of thought into it, and choose carefully, but in literally a one minute on-line search I realized you can buy antimicrobial inflatable tubs; and various tubs which rather than being completely rigid all the time like a tin tub, come with a power pump to quickly inflate and deflate the tub for use and storage; some have electric pumps to drain the water rather than just expecting gravity to drain the water from bottom of tub, etc… I would NOT recommend an el-cheapo tub that you would have to somehow tip up on its side to cascade all the soapy water into your kitchen sink, or toilet (or shower if you have shower on ground level). You will most assuredly hurt your back and then you won’t yourself be able to navigate stairs, much less grandma doing so.

If you commit to this, consider carefully and be prepared to spend some real money, but it really looks doable in the right situation. I don’t know setup of your house but I imagine grandmother would bathe in kitchen, so the electric pump drain system would be essential: don’t try to drag an unbelievably heavy water-filled tub to the porch to throw soapy water off into the grass. Have a pump to automatically drain water into sink.

And whatever you do, if you situate grandma in a tub at a facility, or in a hotel room (both interesting options suggested by posters to at least try), please be ultra careful when getting her out of tub so you don’t hurt yourself. Again, your own physical safety is paramount.

Good luck, and if you do go down this portable tub route, let us know how it works out.

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As people age, it gets more difficult to get in and out of a bathtub, and also to stand up if the bathtub doesn't have a sitting area. Be mindful when getting something for her.

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If the portable tub has to be on the floor, consider how difficult it may be to get her in the tub and especially OUT. The bottom of the tub may be slippery plus you might not be able to lift her without hurting YOUR back

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Get one of those walk-in tubs installed. Then your grandmother can go back to bathing.
Portable baths are a joke and they never work. I have yet to see one worth buying.
Look into the walk-in tub. They don't cost that much either.

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The problem is getting up the stairs, not into the bath.

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If you can afford it, adding a bathroom on the first floor will increase the value of your home: grandma benefits now and you benefit when you sell or if you ever face a disability.

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Most accessible hotel bathrooms have showers not tubs. They have grab bars, a zero or very low step, hand held shower nozzles, etc but not a tub. You would need the type that is tall, has a door, then you sit down close the door and fill it up. My Mom's facility used one for her and she hated it. She was freezing while it filled up, then had to sit and wait until it drained, freezing and wet. She has not had a bath or shower in two years and is only able to have bed sponge baths now because she not even sit up on a shower bench.

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most facilities have wheelchairs made for showers.

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There are plenty of inflatable and collapsible adult-sized bathtubs with easy fill and easy drain options. Amazon has them, of course, but so do many other places, including Overstock and Wayfair Just make sure you check out the reviews before purchase and use Fakespot to check for review authenticity.

Good luck!

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When you say 'easy fill', does that mean dragging a hose inside the house? And how would the tub get drained? Would there be a pipe leading the water outside, or would you just use buckets to throw the water out the window?

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Becky139: I do not advocate a portable bathtub. That would, Imho, be way too cumbersome. Perhaps you can add a bathroom with tub on your main floor instead.

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There are inflatable bathtubs with drain plugs. Just Google inflatable bathtubs.

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You could install a chair lift and if possible add a bath.

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It might be a bit late to say this, but wouldn't it have been easier to install a stairlift?

Is that something you might consider even at this stage? I don't know about prices but I believe they're not ruinous (though for heaven's sake don't skimp!). It can't hurt to get some estimates, perhaps.

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B/c the OT advised against a stairlift due to the elder slumping over while seated.

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My family has been in construction for 4 generations so we tend to think outside the box. When my great uncle was dying of cancer he lived in a home with an interior half-bath on the ground level. The family built a portable shower base in a wooden frame with a hose for discharge, adapted the sink faucets to discharge into a hose going to a shower head and installed a chrome frame like the ones used with old fashioned tubs in the hallway ceiling. I think they put a piece of linoleum to protect the hardwood floor. I remember it being there when we visited and later removed after his passing.

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If mom is slouching over--how are you going to get her into a tub of any kind? Getting a slippery person out of the bath is not for the faint of heart! I am thinking of all the years of bathing my kids and then my grands. A slippery person is hard to lift!

And BTW, a 'sit in' tub is nice--quite expensive and does NOT add value to a home. So if you're thinking along those lines---just be aware. Also, they require A LOT of water to fill.

I'd encourage mom to move more by offering her a 'hotel bath' if she can build up some strength. It would be much cheaper to do that once or twice a month than to try to add on to your home.

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Ok I'll play devil's advocate: here is a list of portable tubs online at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=portable+bathtub+adult&crid=313XTU8HQQVIY&sprefix=portable+bathtub%2Caps%2C519&ref=nb_sb_ss_retrain-deeppltr_2_16

Again, God knows how you'd fill it, drain it, get grandma in and out of it, keep a close eye on her while in it so she wouldn't drown while slumping over.....etc. etc. But yes, there are portable bathtubs available online.

Here's a review of one from a verified Amazon purchaser:

1.0 out of 5 stars
Just take a shower...
Reviewed in the United States
Color: BlueVerified Purchase
Ridiculous. I knew the idea of an inflatable tub seemed too good to be true. This might have pulled it off but the foot long drain tube (seriously...how hard would it be to include a reasonable drain system) is an absolute joke! I ended up breaking my back( the very reason I needed to soak in water to begin with) because I had to drain the tub with a pot. Then I had to lift it into the shower and the remaining water flooded my bathroom. Stupid Stupid Stupid item!

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If core strength is an issue, it's not a great idea to have her seated in a tub period.

But you say you're not 100% confident in the OT's initial assessment? Was Gran having a good day or a bad day when it was done? If you feel the recommendations are too restrictive (and her good days don't suddenly morph into bad days with no warning), then I'd contact the same OT - rather than a different one - and ask for a review.

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There are many resources available to make necessary home adaptions necessary to keep our elderly parents safe and functioning as independently as possible in there own home. I think it's important to remember to utilize durable medical equipment for purposes necessary to help make changes in the home rather than always make our elderly parents change their lifestyle. With so many elderly parents reaching the point of needing in home care the government and your county are willing to provide assistance in so many areas to avoid overflowing the already overpopulated assisted living and nursing homes.

Have you looked into resources for installing a stair lift chairs that would take her up the steps? Medicare does provide some coverage for lift chairs, provided a doctor prescribes it for a medical reason. However, Medicare does not cover the entire cost for the chair. The motorized lifting mechanism is considered durable medical equipment (DME), which is covered under Part B. There are also grants and resources through your County Assistance Office that will cover the rest of the cost.

I would strongly advise anyone caring for their parent to apply for your aging waiver through the Area for Aging Agency to start the tedious process. Once you get your parent into the system they are able to get many adaptions at no cost such as grab bars for shower stalls or stairs, incontinence supplies, wound care treatments, anti bacterial wipes, medical alert system , anything to prevent falls such as non slip stickies for their tubs/showers, hand held shower heads, shower chairs, stationary bikes for building strength etc I could go on and on...if you want specific answers about coverage for anything please send me an email, I'm willing to help and I know the system well. Just my two sense

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Guessing that you only have a shower down stairs or maybe not. You can check into fitting a walk=in tub into the shower area, but it can be pricey. Worth it if you see yourself needing it in the future. There are some free standing ones that could be hooked up near a water and sewer source - like near the washer or behind the wall of where existing shower/bath is.

Maybe even consider a jacuzzi for outside. She doesn't have to strip down, just basic clothing and could soak a good while. My mom loved a bath so much! She had a tub, but couldn't get all the way up/down anymore. I bought a bath lift chair that she could sit on from edge of tub, raise it up and over to the filled up, then lower all the way to the bottom. I installed it (not difficult, just a little heavy) on floor and ceiling and worked quite well in her tiny bathroom. Best money I ever spent because it meant she could sit and soak awhile.

I'm sure they make something similar to blow up kids pool, but you'd need to have a drain in it and I would have reservations considering the potential for an indoor flood using something like that.

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Is there a portable bathtub?

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