LOVELY & ACCESSIBLE
by Designer Laura McCranner
Lovely and accessible does not have to be an oxymoron! Here is another project I have been working on with Craig Baker at Accessible Home Design. Our approach, with each project is to take a potentially institutional looking design and make it beautiful, comfortable and accessible.
This bath is designed to accommodate our client with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) who will soon not have enough strength to stand safely. He will need to be transferred (with a mechanical lift) from a motorized wheelchair into a shower chair that can be wheeled around and used for personal hygiene needs.
Craig’s company built a roll in shower that makes use of a special installation method and materials to eliminate the need for a curb or ramp. The roll in shower provides an attractive sleek look and creates access for easy entry into the shower. You will notice the lack of grab bars in the shower and around the toilet. This bath is custom designed for specific use with the shower chair and eliminates the need for grab bars.
The fixtures are selected for use with or without the shower chair. The wall mounted sink has a simple apron so that the person using the chair can wheel under the sink to easily access the faucet. The apron portion of the sink covers the otherwise unsightly plumbing trap and the hot and cold plumbing lines, which can be uncomfortable to touch. The comfort height toilet features a personal bidet seat to maximize hygiene.
Accessible Home Design specializes in creatively tailoring the needs of each client to the space available. In this case, the end user would need a caregiver’s help. However, this scenario creates an environment that allows for comfort and convenience for both client and caregiver.