Taking a bath is one of the pleasures of life. After a long day at work or watching the grand kids, sometimes all you want to do is lay in a hot bath and relax. We all like to take a bath every now and again, and this is exactly what bath lifts allow.
What is a Bathtub Lift?
Bath lifts aren?t something everyone is familiar with. In fact, you likely have never seen a bath lift in your life, but that doesn?t mean you couldn?t benefit from one. Bath hoists or lifts are designed to allow a person who has trouble getting up and down the ability to take a bath without risk of injury. Their job is to gently lower people into the bath and then lift them out of the bathtub when they?re finished.?These mechanical lifts are powered by battery in most cases and fit in most bathtubs.
The way they work is that there are two ?wings? or extended edges that allow you to transfer onto the chair. In the middle is a durable and sturdy seat where you?ll sit.?Once comfortable, all you have to do is fill your bathtub with water and lower yourself down into the tub using the lift. While these units normally don?t go flush with the bottom of your tub, they will only be 2 ? 3 inches up from the bottom. They often allow you to lean back rather far so that you can relax and enjoy all of the comforts of your bath.
Some models will also suction to the bottom of the tub through suction cups. This allows you to ensure that the lift doesn?t move out of place when you?re in the tub.
Who Can Benefit from a Bath Lift Chair?
A person who is young and vibrant probably doesn?t need a bath lift chair. After all, it?s easier to stand up out of the bathtub and sit down. But there are a lot of people that will benefit from an electric bath seat.
The most common people that will be interested in a bath lift include:
- Elderly: The elderly often find that they can?t enjoy many of the things that they used to love. Baths require a lot of strength to not only lay down in the bath, but also get out of the tub. If a person has less muscle strength, it can be hard to get off of a dry floor ? let alone a wet floor. Using a lift will also reduce the chance of slipping in the tub and getting hurt.
- Injured Persons: Perhaps you had hip surgery, ankle issues or a knee replacement. This is rather common for people of all ages, and these injuries can make it hard to take a bath. Baths can be very rejuvenating and good for the body when recovering from an injury (more on that soon).
- Disabled: A person that is disabled may find that they can enjoy a nice hot bath that they wouldn?t be able to enter otherwise. The extended sides allow a person in a wheelchair to transfer onto the chair with ease, too.
This is exactly what a bath lift offers ? the chance for people that can?t physically enter and stand in a normal tub to enjoy taking a bath once again. The best part is that you?ll be able to do it with the press of a button. You won?t need someone to help you stand up out of the shower, and you will find it easier to enter the shower, too.
If you don?t have the strength or function in your fingers, someone can easily click the button on the remote to help you. They can greatly decrease injuries from falls and improve the overall safety of your bathroom.
Top 5 Bath Lifts for the Elderly
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Drive Medical Blue Whisper Ultra Quiet
Drive Medical?s Blue Whisper offers 50 degree reclines at its lowest point, and it folds up nicely when not in use. Saving storage is a major selling point for the Blue Whisper because it allows others to use the shower without a hassle.
Simple to assemble and disassemble, you can use this bathtub lift on-the-go and during travel, too.
Four quick-release suction cups are present to further allow the chair to remain secure in the tub, so you never have to worry that the lift will move out of place. This model features:
- 300-pound weight maximums
- 5-pound weight
- 50-degree back
- Slim profile of 2.3?
- Raising to 18? height
- Whisper quiet function
- 7? width
And this model even has a power sensor to ensure you?re never lowered into the bath without the power to lift you up out of the bath. Click here to read our full review of this bath chair lift.
Drive Medical Bellavita Bath Chair lift
The Bellavita is another model from Drive Medical, and it is just as durable, comfortable and feature-rich as the previous model. Featuring two-piece assembly and the ability to be assembled with no tools needed, this model will allow for a back angle adjustment to 50 degrees. Four suction cups are available to keep the lift in place.
Color-coded buttons allow you to easily control the unit, and the side flaps allows for a transfer service for easy entry.
The hand control can be charged easily, and the remote is waterproof.? This unit?s full features include:
- 300-pound weight limits
- 5-pound total weight
- White color
- Waterproof remote
- Washable seat
- 8? high lift
- 4 suction cups
The Bellavita also includes the same power safety feature mentioned previously, and it?s backed by a three-year warranty.
Bathmaster Deltis Reclining Bath Chair
The Deltis bath hoist offers a high-performance lift and lowers to just 2 ??. Batteries allow this model to be charged in one hour and features high performance lithium ion technology. The supportive back allows a user to recline to 40 degrees, and the controller is triple-sealed to ensure waterproof accuracy.
Six lifts are offered per charge, and there is a warning light and audio beep that alerts you when the battery level is low. Users of up to 200 pounds can use this model. Click-together assembly is offered, too, for a no-tool assembly. This model features:
- 20-pound weight
- 2 ?? lowering height
- 200-pound weight limit
- 3-year warranty
- Waterproof remote
- 40 degree recline
- Swivel seat
- One-hour recharge
The quick recharge, audio alert and further recline of the chair?s back are the main selling points of the Deltis. And this model snaps together with ease for easy assembly.
Mangar Archimedes Bath Lift
And like other Mangar lifts, this model will only lower you into the tub if it has enough power to lift you back up. This model uses powerful four-way release suction cups to stay in place during use. The release function also makes it easy to remove the seat from the tub in between uses.
The remote control is waterproof, so you don?t have to worry if it falls into the tub while you bathe. The lift will lower you down to within three inches of the tub floor, allowing you to fully enjoy the bathing experience.
The anti-pinch flaps keep skin from getting trapped between the seat and the flap.
The Archimedes? features include:
- 364-lb weight limit
- Waterproof hand control
- 15-1/2″ wide base (excluding the flaps)
- Raises up to 18? from the bottom of the tub
- 22-pound weight
This lift is a little on the heavier side, but the suction cup design makes it easy to remove this chair without straining your back.
For those who need a lift that can handle more weight, the Archimedes is a great option.
Lumex Splash Bath lift
One thing we loved about this model was that the remote has suction cups to stick to the wall. This makes it easy to move up and down in the chair without having to worry about the controller getting lost in the water.
The bottom of the lift also features easy-lift suction cups that keep the lift securely in place. In between uses, the cups are easy to release, so you don?t strain your back trying to pull the chair out of the tub.
The 5033A-1 was designed to sit closer to the back of the tub, which gives you more legroom when you take a bath. It also has flaps to prevent skin pinching and provide full coverage when transferring into the tub. The flaps fold up when lowered down.
This Lumex bath lift has the following features:
- 280-lb weight limit
- Battery-powered
- 8? wide base
- Raises up to 18? from the bottom of the tub
- 14.3-pound weight
This is easily one of the lightest battery-powered bath lifts on the market. Because it sits close to the back of the tub, you can truly enjoy baths ? with your legs stretched out.
The only complaint with this lift is that the weight capacity is on the lower side. The lower weight capacity is likely due to the light weight of the chair.
AdirMed Automatic tub lift and Transfer Aid
The chair offers an adjustable height of 2.3? to 18.8? ? making it higher than other chairs. It also has a reclining back that can go back as low as 50 degrees.
The bottom of the lift has four quick-release suction cups, and you also have the option of adding two anti-slip bath base suction cups.
The hand control is waterproof and floats, so you don?t have to worry about losing it. The back also folds up for easy storage in between uses.
The AdirMed lift offers the following features:
- 300-lb weight limit
- Battery powered
- 6? wide base (excluding flaps)
- Raises up to 18.8?
- 23-pound weight
The chair cushions are a nice addition to this lift and make bathing even more comfortable.
Conclusion
Baths are more than a simple life pleasure. There are many benefits to your physical and mental?health?when you take a bath – you can relieve sore muscles, boost circulation, cleanse the skin, enjoy a better sleep, reduce stress and so much more. Tub lifts allow people that used to love baths the ability to?take them once again without worry of getting in and?out of their tub. The best thing is that there are no modifications, renovations or complicated installations required to start enjoying your bath again.
We hope our bath lift reviews have helped you find the right one for your home.
