The Client
The client lives in a bungalow with an adapted bathroom designed to support their personal care needs.
At over six feet tall, with mobility expected to change over time, it was important to identify a bathing solution that would provide the right level of support now while also being suitable for their anticipated needs.
When mobility is expected to change, the assessment needs to consider both the person’s current abilities and how the bathroom may need to support them in the future. This does not necessarily mean designing around a level of need that has not yet developed. Instead, the aim is to identify equipment that works well now while offering appropriate flexibility as circumstances change.
The client’s height was also an important consideration. At over six feet tall, comfort, positioning and the relationship between the client and the bathing equipment needed to be considered carefully rather than relying on a standard bathing arrangement.
The Requirement
The project centred around finding a suitable replacement assisted bath that would provide a safe, comfortable and sustainable solution within the existing bathroom.
The bathroom offered good space for the proposed installation, with existing water, waste and electrical connections available. The position of the bath was carefully considered to provide additional space at the front for both the client and carer.
The property itself was also an important consideration when selecting the bathing solution. As a housing association property intended for multi-user occupancy, the bathroom needed to meet requirements beyond those that would normally apply to a private domestic installation, including relevant water safety and backflow protection requirements.
The assessment therefore needed to consider both the client’s individual needs and the wider requirements of the property.Â
The Solution
An Astor Compact Plus was specified to provide the client with a modern assisted bathing solution tailored to their individual requirements.
The Compact Plus combines practical design with features intended to support comfortable and dignified bathing, while providing carers with an appropriate working environment.
The choice of a fixed-seat configuration was based on the client’s particular circumstances rather than being a standard configuration. The assessment considered the client’s height, current mobility and anticipated progression of their needs, alongside how the bath would be used within the available space.
A person-centred assessment does not necessarily mean choosing the most flexible or feature-rich option available. It means identifying the features that provide meaningful benefit for that particular person. In this case, the fixed-seat configuration provided an appropriate and stable bathing position for the client, while allowing the surrounding bathroom space to be used effectively by both the client and carer.
The Compact Plus was also supplied with its Kiwa KUKReg4-approved Showersafe gantry system. In this case, the gantry was an important consideration because the property is a housing association, multi-user setting. The gantry provides Category 5 backflow protection, helping to protect the potable water supply in accordance with the relevant water regulations. This is an important distinction from a standard private domestic bathroom installation.
The different elements of the solution therefore had different purposes: the fixed-seat configuration was selected around the client’s individual bathing needs, while the gantry addressed the water safety requirements associated with the wider property environment.
Designed Around the Individual
Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, the assessment considered how the client uses their bathroom and how their needs may develop over time.
Considering future needs is also an important part of an effective adaptation. Where mobility is likely to change, equipment and room layouts should ideally provide enough flexibility to remain useful as the person’s circumstances develop. This can help avoid designing a solution that works only for the person’s current level of mobility and then requires significant changes later.
At the same time, the assessment should remain grounded in the person’s needs today. The aim is to strike a balance between providing appropriate support now and choosing a solution with the potential to remain suitable as those needs change.
This project also demonstrates why an accessible bathroom assessment needs to consider both the individual and the wider environment in which the adaptation sits. The client’s height, mobility and anticipated needs informed the choice of bath and fixed-seat configuration, while the nature of the property introduced additional requirements around water safety and the installation.
Taking this wider view helps ensure that the most appropriate solution is not determined by the product alone, but by how the equipment, the person and the property need to work together.
The spacious bathroom layout allowed the Compact Plus to be positioned to create additional working space around the bath, helping to support both the client and carer during bathing.
The existing services could also be utilised, helping to make the installation practical within the existing bathroom environment.
The Result
The Compact Plus provides a considered, long-term bathing solution designed around the client’s individual needs.
With a focus on comfort, safety, dignity and future accessibility, the project demonstrates how careful assessment and product selection can help create an effective assisted bathing environment within the home.
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