Dieser Beitrag ist auch verfügbar auf:
Deutsch
The bathroom is one of the most dangerous places in the home: wetness creates a risk of slipping, slippery tiles offer little grip and tight spaces make it difficult to move safely. For older people in particular, whose sense of balance, ability to react and muscle strength deteriorate over the years, everyday tasks such as getting in and out of the bath can be a real fall hazard.
Nico Frederik Rosenstädt is Managing Director of Idumo Austria – a company specializing in bath lifts that has been active on the market for 28 years. In this interview, he explains for whom a bath lift is the right solution and what to look out for when buying one.
SBC: What typical everyday hurdles and challenges is a bath lift suitable for?
Rosenstädt: The most common challenge in a bathtub is the risk of slipping. Many people make do with anti-slip mats – but as soon as bath additives such as bubble baths come into play, these mats become very slippery. It is very easy to lose your footing on them. If they are not cleaned well after every bath, they also become moldy over time.
In practice, we see that many older people do not want to do without the relaxation of a full bath. Without a bath lift, they often only have the choice between risky makeshift maneuvers: they turn on their knees when getting out of the bath, hold on to the edge of the bath to stand up. Or they crawl out of the bath via a door cut-out and then stand up outside the bath. When we are out and about, we hear the most adventurous stories. Unfortunately, we have also seen customers who have fallen and seriously injured themselves.
Our belt lift solves exactly this problem: you sit on the tensioned belt from the outside, press a button and let yourself slide down into the water. No gymnastics, no twisting, no crawling. And when you’re done, you simply pull yourself back up again. The belt remains under your body throughout the entire bathing process and you sit on it. It doesn’t take up any space in the bath either.
Some customers don’t even go all the way down to sit in the bath. They use our lift in a middle position so that they can wash and shower comfortably in their intimate area.
The advantage: Our solution can be installed in around 90 minutes – without major conversion work, without noise and without dust.
SBC: Does your solution also require wall reinforcement?
Rosenstädt: We work with special expansion dowels, dowels for plasterboard or metal dowels – depending on the substrate. We have also installed lifts on wooden walls, glass tiles and even very thin walls, where we have attached a reinforcing plate from the opposite side if required, which remains completely invisible from the outside. Even corner baths or whirlpools have been successfully fitted with a bath lift on several occasions. We have yet to encounter a structural situation for which no solution has been found.
SBC: Your solution works with belts. What advantage does a belt have over other bath lift solutions, such as a bath chair?
Rosenstädt: Bath chair designs are large seats that protrude over the edge of the bath and often weigh 25 kilos or more. Every use is a real feat of strength, especially in a small bathroom, because the solutions are really big and heavy. And the suction cups are sometimes so tight that they are difficult to get out of the bath. I also keep seeing bath chairs getting moldy because they are really difficult to clean.
A tape solution is a completely different world: it is much smaller, can be conveniently sprayed off with the shower after bathing and is much more hygienic. Our tape cannot become moldy, thanks to a special coating. And if it needs to be replaced after a few years, it’s money well spent at around 180 to 450 euros. The costs vary depending on the width of the belt, as we humans are built very differently.
Many of our regular customers have the strap replaced after 4-5 years. They do not break, but for hygienic reasons it sometimes makes sense to replace them – also with regard to any incontinence. When replacing, you should also check whether a different band width is necessary, for example if the weight has changed.
SBC: What should be considered when ordering and planning a bath lift?
Rosenstädt: The most important point is not to wait too long. We regularly see people considering a bath lift but postponing the decision – because they think they can still get out of the bath somehow. Unfortunately, we experience this time and again: one of our customers thought the investment was too big and canceled it. She called us shortly afterwards: she had fallen and injured her head and jaw. This is not an isolated case.
Some people start by using a bath chair and soon realize that they are 10-15 cm short of the bottom of the bath and are therefore unable to bathe properly. If you are worried about this, then a bath chair is the better option. And here I would also like to reiterate that a bath chair is very susceptible to mold because it is difficult to clean. In addition, a bath chair is really very large and heavy, it needs a correspondingly large bathroom and someone who can handle and lift it.
With a tape product itself, it is worth paying attention to the tape quality, the electronics and the battery. High-quality solutions from quality suppliers offer a guarantee of 2 to 5 years. Inexpensive belts are often closed and therefore more difficult to clean. Higher-quality belts have openings through which you can also shower from below – which, as mentioned above, also makes the lift usable as a shower seat.
In comparison with other solutions: A door cut into the bathtub costs between 2,500 and 7,000 euros, generates considerable noise and dust, and has a decisive disadvantage: if you actually want to bathe in it, you are in the cold twice – once when filling it, and once when draining the water. This is because the door can only be opened after the water has been drained. The bath lift starts at around EUR 2,920 with installation and gives you the opportunity to bathe in comfort.
SBC: Where and through which channels are your products available?
Rosenstädt: Idumo Austria is only active in Austria and South Tyrol. As a manufacturer, we also produce in Austria – consciously and out of conviction. My stepfather is still active in Switzerland. As the founder of Idumo International, he used to be responsible for activities in Switzerland, Austria and internationally.
Our solutions are available directly from us. We will advise you personally on site and our own fitters will install them very quickly and without a major construction project. There is a normal statutory 14-day right of return, but the return rate is less than one percent. Once you have experienced the lift in practice, you will keep it.
SBC: You see a lot of bathrooms in your job. Do you have any other expert tips on senior-friendly bathroom design?
Rosenstädt: The most important thing is: Don’t wait until a renovation becomes unavoidable. Most decisions are only made after a fall or an acute event – but early action would be much cheaper and less stressful.
Anyone planning or renovating a new bathroom should also take a close look at what is really meant by the term ‘barrier-free’. Time and again, we see products on the market that are marketed as barrier-free but create considerable obstacles in practice. In older buildings, the shower drain is often very high, which means that accessibility is only possible with a great deal of effort. This leads to showers that can only be accessed via a step.
In practice, we also come across bathtubs that are sunk into the floor for level access – but create a step around 60 centimetres deep when getting out. Customers sometimes invest six to seven times as much as a bath lift, only to find out later that they still need our access aid.
The crucial question with every solution is: How do I get out again? Not just today, but also in ten years’ time. We are convinced of our solution because we see it helping people every day. During development, it was important to us from the outset to offer not just a product, but a solution. One that makes everyday life safer, easier and more independent.
Thank you for the interview!
Idumo Austria has specialized in bath lifts for 28 years and advises private individuals and care facilities in Austria. More information at: idumo.at
Author: Anja Herberth
Chefredakteurin
