Does Certification for your Walk in Bathtub Matter?

Standards touch your life every day. Products that you encounter and use in daily life should be expected to conform to certain standards and certifications. Whether you are using your toaster, driving your car, using the elevator in a building or purchasing clothing or toys for your children, we all look to standards to ensure that product quality conforms to our expectations.

Canadian Standards International states “A standard is a document that has been prepared, approved, and published by a recognized standards organization, and contains rules, requirements, or procedures for an orderly approach to a specific activity. Standards may include product design requirements, test methods, classifications, recommended practices, and other considerations.

Many standards define safety requirements intended to reduce the risk of personal injury due to electrical shock or fire. Some standards set levels of performance for products. Some address social concerns, such as how our environment is managed or how information is used.” http://www.csa-international.org/who_accepts_csa/

For manufacturers, the process of certification is time consuming and very expensive. That cost is in-turn passed on to you the consumer, but it means a higher quality product and you can be confident that the manufacturer has put great effort into ensuring your safety. It also means that a product will be compatible with other household components such as electricity and plumbing.

There are a variety of walk in bathtubs on the market today with a great range in price. Those that are selling at an unbelievably low price are often not certified to Canadian and US standards. This may be because the manufacturer has just not wanted to spend the time or money to certify the product or it may be because the product is being manufactured in a country where such standards are not important.
When a qualified installer comes to do a walk in bathtub installation in your home, he/she must abide by the rules set out the trade industry which insist that the product being installed conform to CSA/UL standards for Canada and the US. If the product and or its components are not certified, a tradesperson cannot install it without putting his license as a tradesman in jeopardy. If there are problems with the product in regards to quality or safety you can go back to the manufacturer and expect to have the problem corrected.

A walk in bathtub is expected to ensure safe bathing for the user. What can be more important than safety, particularly to those who are most vulnerable, seniors and those with disabilities?

Does walk in bathtub certification matter? Yes, of course it does and though there may be models on the market that are so much less money than others, pay attention to their certification – it may mean the difference in your safety and yes, in even getting it installed.

For further information on safe bathing and walk in bathtubs visit http://www.safetybath.com

How to Keep your San Francisco Mother-In–Law in Her Own Home

My mother in law lives in San Francisco. As far as mothers-in-law go, she’s a grand old gal. She lives in her own home and has managed just fine up to this point in time. Last year after my father-in-law passed away, she insisted that she wanted to remain where she was… in the same home they had shared for 50 years, in the same comfortable neighborhood.

We frequently make the 45 minute drive to her home, where we visit, do a few minor things for her and often have a good meal. About a month ago, during our drive back home, my wife confided that she had some worries about her mother.

“I think Mom should come and live with us”, she said. “She admitted to me that she fell last week getting into the bathtub. She was lucky she only got a little bruised but can you imagine what would happen if she broke something, like her hip? I’m not sure we could afford to get her into the type of care facility she would need for maybe the rest of her life. If she lived with us, we wouldn’t have to worry about her.”

I understood my wife’s concerns, but jeepers, I was not too sure that I wanted to share my home with my mother-in-law. We were quite happy on our own and now that our kids were out of the house, we were enjoying our empty nest. I love my mother-in-law but living with her was going to be quite another issue!

It started me thinking about things I could do to keep her in her own home and that’s when I remembered something I had heard about a while back… those bathtubs with the doors. I knew it would cost us a bit, but compared to the alternative of having the old gal fall in the tub and dealing with long term care, it seemed the best way out of a tricky situation.

So now I know all there is to know about walk in bathtubs, my mother-in law has a walk in bathtub and is happy, my wife is happy, and gosh, darn, I’m happy too!um2ykwrsec

The Accessibility Solution for Your Existing Bathtub

Two new innovative products from Safety Bath Inc., are revolutionizing the bathtub industry, by offering accessibility without great expense and major bathroom renovations.

Door Insert Kit

Safety Bath Inc., makers of the walk-in bathtub since 1992, has recently rounded out its product line by offering the Door Insert Kit which can be inserted into a traditional bathtub to allow the user to convert an existing bathtub into a bathtub with a door. While it is common to cut out an opening in a bathtub to permit accessibility, the Door Insert Kit goes one step further by permitting accessible entrance without losing the use of the bathtub. The Door Insert Kit is revolutionizing the bathtub industry for aging baby boomers and others who want to remain in their home as long as possible. The Door Kit will provide accessibility without complete bathroom renovation. The Kit is available in a range of sizes to accommodate most bathtubs. The Door Insert Kit must be installed by a qualified installation expert.


Universal Safety Seat

A partner to the Door Insert Kit, the Custom Safety Seat can be installed together with the Door Insert Kit or as an independent component. The Custom Safety Seat is available in a number of custom sizes to fit virtually any bathtub. Constructed of high density polyethylene with a weight capacity of 350 lbs, the Safety Seat can be folded up when not in use and attaches securely to a wall mounted retaining bracket. The Custom Safety Seat allows the user to sit if tired while showering or can be used in placed of a bath chair within the bathtub.

Safety Bath Inc. has been changing the way people bathe by offering safe and accessible bathtub options. Safety Bath products are available factory direct as well as through a dealer network across North America. Due to the high demand for the Door Insert Kit and the Universal Safety Seat, Safety Bath Inc. is in search of qualified installers.