Making Your Bathroom More RA Friendly
by Niki Wyre
With Rheumatoid Arthritis, many patients report having a hard time tending to their bathroom needs or the excessive amount of energy required to meet those needs. When are hands are flaring, we may not be able to squeeze toothpaste, pump soap or even get shampoo out of the bottle to wash our hair. Last year Murphy helped turn my bathroom into a RA friendly one for just over a hundred dollars in total. Since then I save more time and energy doing things before that were hard to do. Often I still feel exhausted after showers but I am saving energy that I would rather spend on other activities. I wanted to share with you all some of the tips and gadgets I’m using in my bathroom to make things easier to do.
I hope by sharing about my Rheumatoid Arthritis friendly bathroom I am able to give you some ideas. The majority of the items in use in my bathroom are from Amazon or local drug stores, like Walgreens. These little improvements and gadgets can be a great help in your bathroom as well and only a fraction of the cost of renovating your bathroom to accomodate your needs. Adding organizers to eliminate clutter can add up on the energy and time you will save in the future looking for items or retrieving them from the floor. The dispensers turn out to be priceless in the help that they give, not to mention the time or frustration spent daily on opening and using products on a regular basis. Safety features are a must for an arthritis friendly bathroom.
DISPENSERS
Soap Dispensers
If you wash your hands any where close to how many times I do a day, a soap dispenser is necessary. Lots of companies have recently came out with battery operated hands-free soap dispensers at very affordable prices. No more soap pumps for me! All you have to do is put your hands under dispenser and it dispenses the soap into your hands. I have one that Murphy picked up at our local Walgreens in the as seen on tv section, but this image is of a cheaper and prettier looking one that is available at most stores.
Shower Dispensers
I absolutely love this gadget. I keep my shampoo, conditioner and shower gel in mine. You put one hand under pump and push button to dispense product into your hand. It’s that easy! No more fumbling to grasp bottles while in shower or fighting to uncap the product or bending over to pick them off the floor. Believe me, my hands are very happy about this addition to my bathroom. For greater ease, Murphy hung mine within reach distance while sitting on my shower chair.
Toothpaste Dispensers
Toothpaste tubes have been a nemesis of mine in the past. The amount of energy required to squeeze it out or roll it up to keep using drove me crazy when my hands were flaring. Not to mention those little screw on caps. Arrgh. After picking this up for, Murphy hung up next to sink in bathroom. Like the soap dispensers above, this one is hands free! Got to love that. Some of the dispensers, like this one, even come with an electric toothbrush. (If you aren’t using an electric toothbrush by now, get one! Save so much time and energy brushing teeth and you can get them cleaner too.)
Toothpaste Squeezer / Dispenser
An alternative to the Toothpaste Dispenser mentioned above is a squeeze tube squeezer. This cheap and nifty little arthritis helper allows you to squeeze out the toothpaste, to the last drop, without much effort. You would be surprised how much energy either will save you in the long run.
ORGANIZERS / ORGANIZATION
Over the Door Pocket Organizer
My absolute favorite organization tool in my bathroom is the over the door pocket organizer. I have mine hung on the back of my bathroom door. No more bending over to root through tight bathroom cabinets or having to pull out 10 items to find what I’m looking for. I love that this is lightweight and see through. I put heavy items like extra shampoo bottles down on the bottom since I use those less and most commonly used items in the middle. It’s so much easier being able to find things more quickly and not have to sort through cabinets or drawers.
Bath / Shower Organizers
If you have problems bending over to pick up products while showering or dealing with cluttered shower spaces, try getting a hanging organizer. This one hands on same hooks as your shower curtain so it barely takes up any space. I like to keep my poofs, razors and soap in mine. Like the over the door organizer above, its so much easier to get things when you can see what is in pockets.
Shower Tote
When I first got this shower tote, I honestly didn’t know how much I would end up using it. I have several long reach products that I need to pull out when my shoulders and arms are bad. I pop that and toiletries like shaving gel into this little guy. I keep it in my shower between showers. When I’m ready or a shower I move it to side and I’m ready to go. If you use more than one bathroom in your house, this can come in really handy or if you have seperate shower and bath in your bathroom it makes it easier to move products from one to another.
ARTHRITIS AIDS AND SAFETY
Shower Chair
Once I used my shower chair for the first time, I never turned back. I am completely hooked. Showering used to be so hard to do for me! The amount of pain in my back and knees from standing, stooping over to pick things up or shaving while standing up was off the charts. If you have problems with back or necks when standing, you won’t regret this purchase.
Handheld Shower Nozzle
These things are a lifesaver for me. Even when I’m flaring at my worst I can get a great shower with these. If you have a shower chair or are thinking of one, they are a must. I reccommend getting one with variable speeds or pulses. That way you can use water massage features when you need it and soft spray when hurting bad. They make washing my hair so much easier.
Safety Bars
There are many different types of safety bars avaialable for purchase now, from hard installed to temporary ones like this suction cup one. If you can have it installed or install one yourself, as long as anchored in wall properly, the stability can’t be matched. The only drawback to the suction cups one are that if both surfaces aren’t completely clean and smooth, they can slide down or even fall off the wall. Unfortunately I took one to the back of the head while showering one day. Ouch!
Bath Steps
If you have trouble climbing in out of tub or shower, a simple little step like this one outside the bath can help greatly. They come in a variety of height, materials and some are even stackable. Some of our members sit on side of tub and pull legs over as an alternative to using bath steps.
No Slip Shower or Bath Mats
These are a must for any shower or bath. One of my greatest fears is falling and hurting myself worse than I already do. You can pick up one of these at your local store for a few dollars. It’s worth it for the piece of mind. I put one under my shower chair because it would slide around in shower stall.
What gadgets or items do you think are priceless in your bathroom? Is there something you would recommend to fellow Rheumatoid Arthritis patients? Drop me a line and let me know. 🙂
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Thank you this was sooooo helpful