Safe and Attractive "Adaptable" Shower Access Available for Senior Housing
Adaptable shower units in bathroom design allow easy retrofit of safety fixtures that meets senior residents’ changing access needs.
Boise, ID (PRWEB via PR Web Direct)
May 17, 2005 -- Although American Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines
(ADAAG) and local building codes provide practical safety parameters for
assisted living and senior housing facilities, providing seniors with
“adaptable” bathing access that meets their changing needs deserves special
attention from architects and developers as well as facility owners and
operators. Ideally, these adaptable safety features must be attractive and not
institutional in appearance.
At Irwin-Pancake Architects, a firm
specializing in senior housing for 35 years, the philosophy is bathing areas can
be safe and beautiful. “While cost is always a factor, it is in everybody's
interest to ensure that bathing facilities are not only safe and sound, but
provide long-term service and value,” says Douglas Pancake of Irwin-Pancake
Architects.
For shower units, Irwin-Pancake often teams with Best Bath
Systems (www.best-bath.com). A division of Fiberglass Systems, Inc.,
Best Bath sells a broad line of commercial and residential products including
shower units and baths directly to dealers, developer-owners and contractors.
"Most architects think, 'If it's going to be safe, it's going to look
institutional,'" says Gary Multanen, Best Bath Systems President. “That's not
the case with our products. We work closely with designers to ensure they
understand the variety of custom looks for bathroom design, while meeting all
safety features outlined by the American Disabilities Act Accessibility
Guidelines (ADAAG) and local codes.”
According to Gregory Irwin of
Irwin-Pancake Architects, the goal is to aid a person without reminding them of
their infirmities. “Uniformly designing bathing with institutional-looking
fixtures can be demoralizing to the senior resident who doesn't need them yet,”
says Irwin.
For this reason Best Bath has designed unique drop-in shower
units with walls backed with 1/2-inch plywood, to facilitate installation of
safety hardware as needed. For example, grab bars can be installed to suit a
resident's height or infirmity and adjusted later. Semi-permanent threshold
adapters, water dams and seating can be installed with the shower unit or
whenever residents have special access needs, such as low step-over or wheel
chair entry.
Contact:
Jeff Mooney
(800) 727-9907
E-mail: e-mail
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www.best-bath.com
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb238634.htm