I am the caregiver for my grandmother with Alzheimers who is 95. She is at the point where it is difficult to lift her legs to get in the tub. I would like to get her a walk-in type of tub, but I know they are so expensive. We simply don't have the money. Are there companies that sell these type of tubs that Medicare will cover? Please advise.

Please note, that I also placed this question on the "Questions to the Care Consultant" message board, as well, in case someone on this message board knew the answer.

I don't know if they'll cover that, but if not maybe a shower chair would be easier for you? Also, some adult daycare programs will give people who attend the program a shower twice a week.
Good luck.

Pink,
There are transfer chairs to help get them in the shower. I used one for a short time, but it got to the point where even that didn't work. The transfer chair fits over the side of the tum with two legs in the tub and two legs outside the tub. The person can sit on the chair and then you can lift their legs and slide them into the tub. Then with a shower hose you can give them a shower. Maybe this would work for you.

If it's too hard to lift her legs one at a time, using the transfer chair, could you get help? Maybe a home health aide could come in to help with her showers.

A quick Internet search makes it clear that at least in some areas, Medicare or Medicaid can pay for a walk-in shower/tub if you follow the procedures and get it authorized beforehand. e.g. http://www.coloradosteamin.com...essible_Tubs_Showers

Sounds like she doesn't have a walk-in shower....just a tub. Not having an accessible house is one reason lots of people really can't keep their loved ones at home, unfortunately.

As the owner of a walk-in tub, I would recommend the other suggestions on this thread as being more practical for someone needing assistance. My tub is one of the largest at 60" long and there is not enough room for two people to be in it (one to do the bathing and one to be bathed). It also requires sitting for a period of time while the tub fills with water. This may be difficult(slippery,too) and upsetting for an elderly person with AZ. Once the tub fills with water, the door cannot be opened and you would have to reach over the side to bathe the person. The sides are high on these tubs. I really think these tubs are for people who can independently use them.
I would suggest one of those seats that fits in a regular bathtub and can be raised and lowered.

Thanks everyone, you have helped significantly !!!

I am an architect and I would never advise anyone to get one of these tubs. They are stupidly expensive and take so much time to fill.

If you need an assistive bathing solution, you would be much better changing out the tub to a shower with a shower chair and a three way valve and hand set. The three way valve switches from handset to tub faucet to shower head - I have a deep soaking tub and I use the hand set exclusively.

My deep soak tub which is similar to the walk in tubs without the door takes at least 20 minutes to fill.

You also might want to consider an in tub chair lift. These are hydraulic or air driven and provide a seat at top of tub level which can be lowered into the wataer.

Of course there are many options of cheap rubbermaid shower chairs which work fine.

We were looking into one of these for my Dad and we decided against it,A few of the people my Mom has coffee with in the morning told them my Dad would be VERY uncomfortable (and cold) sitting in the tub waiting for it to fill up, or empty.

We hadn't thought about that and we realized they were absolutely right!!

I have been looking for bathing alternatives for my mom. We aren't set up very well for accessibility but do what we can. We got her one of those bath lifts and it works pretty well. I fill the tub first so she doesn't have to sit and wait and get cold - or just give her a shower after letting the chair down enough that we aren't spilling water over the sides.
I would be interested to learn about the soaking tub. Mom taught swimming for years and I have often thought how much she would like the feeling of floating again in soothing warm water.

Ginny:

A soaking tub is an extra deep tub - usually 19-21" deep. It is quite a step over, but I figure when the time comes, I can sit on the side and turn around on the edge. A regular tub can be replaced with a soaking tub, they have the same outer dimensions. My tub is fitted with hydrojets so the interior length is a little shorter.

Pink:

You might check with your local town social services department. Many towns offer home rehabilitation services for seniors to allow them to stay in their homes. I am not sure whether or not your grandmother must own the home, but it is worth checking out.

Just a few cautions:
Most of these programs are "recovery" or "payback" programs, which means the town would expect to be reimbursed for costs from your grandmother's estate or after the sale of the house in the form of a lien on the house. Perfectly reasonable if it will allow the necessary changes to be made without any cost due now.

Also, towns may have different rehabilitation programs – sometimes they provide a one time fix or installation of something - like a retrofitted bathroom or a new furnace, etc. Other programs may include multiple home projects and may then involve HUD for funding – and so may involve much more stringent housing code regulations.

In either case, just make sure you know what you are getting into before you agree to anything.

Kit

Thank you so much for giving your opinion on the bathtubs. I am a caregiver for a woman interested in purchasing one of those walk-in tubs. The Premier model she wanted was $17,000 installed! She does not have Alzheimer's and would be capable of getting her legs over the edge of the tub. This chair lift sounds like the perfect situation--plus it would allow someone to assist her with bathing if that became necessary.

quote:

Originally posted by ytram:
I am an architect and I would never advise anyone to get one of these tubs. They are stupidly expensive and take so much time to fill.

If you need an assistive bathing solution, you would be much better changing out the tub to a shower with a shower chair and a three way valve and hand set. The three way valve switches from handset to tub faucet to shower head - I have a deep soaking tub and I use the hand set exclusively.

My deep soak tub which is similar to the walk in tubs without the door takes at least 20 minutes to fill.

You also might want to consider an in tub chair lift. These are hydraulic or air driven and provide a seat at top of tub level which can be lowered into the wataer.

Of course there are many options of cheap rubbermaid shower chairs which work fine.

Medicare will pay for a shower chair,also a walker.I have a rollator walker it cost 200.00 but my part was only 20.00......