DH is having trouble getting up from chair/toilet and balance problems. Anyone have recommendations pro/con about specific elevated toilet seat with handles?
Consider what is called a 3 in 1 piece of equipment. 1-over the toilet with handles, 2-bedside commode with bucket and 3-shower chair. With a doc's Rx MC will probably pay for it.
i have the handled over the toilet seat and DH wouldnt use it . i installed grab bars at all toilets and he pulls himself by those. some toilet seats wiggle and can cause afeeling of movement when seated. check out various brands before buying. divvi
I have the elevated toilet seat the kind you put on top of the current one. Husband refuses to use it. At least at the moment. You can get cheap ones at the drugstore. Do have grab-bars on the toilet so he can pull himself up.
If you don't already have an elevated "handicap height" toilet seat, sometimes called Comfort Height, they help as well. A new plain white one from Home Depot costs about $155-$175. and if you don't know someone who can install one, intallation will cost about $100. That, with the rails on the wall is all we use..and DH has had a broken hip which limits his strength in one of his legs. We're visiting a friend who has the regular height toilet, and I think I am sitting down on the floor every time I sit on it. I didn't realize how much I appreciated the higher toilet myself.
I guess we went through two "wrong" elevated seats before finally settling on the one we use now. The first one had a "lift" of about six inches and sort of took the place of the toilet seat, and also had adjustable armrests that attached to the toilet bowl. Too tall -- my DW's toes didn't touch the floor, and the armrests had a rickety feeling that wouldn't inspire much user confidence anyhow. The second one was just a plastic booster that fits between the bowl and the toilet seat and elevates the user by about 3 or 4 inches, which is about right for our toilet. But it turns out it was designed to fit on a round bowl toilet, whereas our is an elongated bowl, so the toilet seat extended out beyond the booster. The third one is the same basic design, but made for the elongated bowl. And we do, in fact, have those original armrests installed now, but their only usefulness is in preventing my DW from sitting on the toilet seat sidesaddle, which makes it awkward for her to clean her backside properly. Either my son or I have to assist her in getting on and off the potty. Be aware also that the armrests might make reaching the tissue holder difficult -- that was something we hadn't thought about.
Mom and Dad went through quite a few types of toilet seat before settling on a handicapped toilet itself and a removable extension on top of it. You really do have to consider the bowl (elongated or round). We found the elongated was easier to use to do an adequate cleanig job. I am so used to it (we call it sitting on the throne!!) that when I sit on a regular toilet it seems too short. I Installed a handicapped toilet with side grab bars attached to the walls. This helps quite a bit with his depth and space perception problems and helps him not to sit "sidesaddled". Good luck!
When we had our bathroom remodeled we opted for the "comfort height" with an elongated bowl. I'm so glad we did. My only problem now is that I want to take the lid off, as DH tends to forget to lift it when he goes and I end up with PP on the seat, on the floor, etc. I'm having problems taking the lid off as it seems to be all one piece.
I'm another one who put handicapped toilets into the new bathrooms, both in our old house in California and our new one in Pennsylvania. My daughter has put comfort height toilets into both of her bathrooms as well. They are very easy to come by.
In our case I was the one who needed them when we first bought them, but everyone likes them which is why my daughter now has them too.
I find this one interesting because I just went shopping last week at Home Depot and Lowes to price the higher toilets and in one bathroom I can use the elongated, but the other has to be round because of the door. I am just tired of the 14" toilets that came with the house and always notice the difference when I use a public facility. These low ones cannot be good for our muscles as we get "older." I haven't reached the Depends or poopie stage yet with DH but know it is coming someday from reading the comments. I have been trying to justify spending the money, but you wonderful people have convinced me I am making the right choice. I am going tomorrow to place the order. Thanks and bless you. You all are really like family, even better, because you are living the AD spouse nightmare.
bookworm, You can buy an elongated toilet that is a "space saving" model and takes up no more room than a round one.
In our house, we have 3 toilets, one of which is higher. I have been considering a taller one (which I can install myself) for the master bath. I've been looking at elevated seats, with handles, bars for the wall, etc. I hadn't considered the 3-in-1. And, unlike someone with only physical problems, it is so hard to tell what will work for someone with AD, how long it will work, what will work better for a caregiver later on. Some literature says safety bars may be a hazard in case of falls also.
Great suggestions all around, and with AD, it is so helpful to hear what has worked, what won't work for long, etc.
If you replace the whole toilet with a comfort height one, you may also want to check the information on how effectively it flushes (how hard it is to clog). See http://www.cuwcc.org/MaPTesting.aspx
One of the reasons I loved the comfort height toilets was that they tend to flush better than the regular height ones. But some are better than others, so do check and get yourself one of the better brands.
And remember that ALL of us are getting older. My daughter is in her 40s and her husband in his 50s and they bought the higher toilets for THEMSELVES since we no longer can get to their house at this time. My husband could not handle the fact that there is no place to sit and calm down at their house and he no longer travels. At some point all of us will come home from the hospital needing help getting up and down from a toilet.
We installed bars that attach on either side of the toilet attached to the wall that can be raised up and removed from next to the toilet. VA installed them after an engineer (who specilizes in ADA) suggeted them. THey work great. Just a thought.
It must be taller than mine because my Mom was just 5'1" and it worked great for her. Never seen one that tall. I have 2 different ones in our house, both comfort height. I didn't know the difference until one got plugged and I had our builder put a better quality one it - Over 300.and we love it. It has small flush or big flush and a push buttong on the top to activate and doesn't stop up.
These my deceased bil put in to the house. He was 6'4" and his first wife was tall. I assume that is why they are so tall. Of course having short legs doesn't help. But when I sit on them my tippy toes is all that touches. Even my husband doesn't like them and he is 5'10". When we bought our MH it had a riser on the toilet. I made him take it off (unlike homes, it was between the floor and toilet) cause I touched with just my tippy toes. Others have the same uncomfortableness on them, so it is just not me. But, my sister loves it but she is taller.
I put them in both my bathrooms. I got one from the VA for free because DH has stenosis. I love them, both fit betweet the tolet and the seat and have really long screws which go right through. I then put bars on the walls next to the toilets to pull yourself up on. They add about 5 inches to the bowl, and I have bad knees, and I think they are great. The first one, I ordered on line, and it cost about 50$, there is no installation, I did it myself.
This is the one I have. It is 17" tall and we still use the potty chair frame over it because I don't have a good place to put bars. My contractor exchanged another comfort height brand out after dh stopped it up before we even moved in. That has always been a problem with him stopping them up. Haven't had a single problem with it in 3 years and love it. When you flush it goes WHOOSH... and the first time you may think WOW. I am sure there are other good ones out there also. But, don't get a cheapie.
Might be better if I gave you the website. Sorry.http://www.caromausa.com/Royale-270-EH-Elongated
I bought Kohler, because they are reliable, American Standard and Crane are another reliable brands. I am also 5'3" tall, and I do not have a problem with my feet touching the floor. They are only 3 inches higher - 14-1/2" is standard, comfort height is about 17". -Found this info on web-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) height is 16 -1/2" from floor to rim of the bowl. Some toilets have "Comfort height or Universal Height" which can be 16 -1/8" not exactly 16 -1/2".
I bought a Kohler comfort height for our master bath and love it. It does flush so much better than the 'builder installed' one and has only plugged up once in two years. I am 5'1" and the height is fine for me.
My daughter and I went to a Home Show a few months back and saw the comfort heigh toliet that Imohr has with the two buttons on top. We bought two - one for the main floor powder room and one for the upstairs bath. They were expensive but are well worth it for water savings as well as no plugging.