One of our core specialties is to remove a bathtub and replace it with a walk-in / wheelchair accessible shower that can be installed in a few days. They are easy to maintain and enhance the use and appearance of your bathroom. Kits are available or custom pans can be ordered or created. Wall surrounds most often are done in either custom tile, cultured marble, or acrylic. Each has its benefits and drawbacks. Let Accessable review the options with you that best meet your needs.

A critical decision is how high the threshold of the shower can be. Someone who is struggling with or can’t walk is going to need a very low or ‘zero’ threshold entry point. More able bodied seniors might just be happy enough with a higher threshold that is still much, much lower than the bath tub wall. All of these considerations are taken into account when you meet with your Accessable Assessor and pick the right options for your new shower.

While replacing the bathtub with a shower is a more comprehensive solution, a typical issue for seniors is the challenge of just safely getting over the front bathtub wall to shower. Many newer tubs are as much as 20” tall!  A bathtub insert is the quickest, easiest and most economical way to create a step-in shower to your home without taking your bathtub out. With the optional cap or door, you can still use the tub as a bathtub.

Accessable represents several manufacturers of bathtub inserts to address the unique needs of each user. Accessable can convert your bathtub in in just a few hours. With the addition of a couple of grab bars, most seniors can enter and exit the tub safely and confidently.

Bathtub Conversion Process

These tubs have become the talk of the community and our clients ask about them all the time. For the right client, they can be a great joy and therapeutic. But they are not for everyone. As a company most concerned with safety and comfort, we take a lot of time to help clients decide on the tub that is right for them, of if it is right at all. There are as many makes and models out there as there are cars, and we know how difficult it can be to choose one of those.

Some of the considerations include inswing versus outswing door, air and water jets, heated seat, accelerated drain pumps, as well as tub width and length. Ask us which tub we think is right.

Bathroom safety and fall prevention are essential while bathing, yet the lack of proper assistive devices or their poor placement can lead to such events. Many providers will steer clients towards inexpensive bath chairs and transfer benches. However, space limitations and the need to use the tub by others can make that equipment a real pain. We offer folding seats and benches that fold up out of the way when not in use. They are available in knaugahide or phenolic plastic. Chairs and benches without legs can be installed in walls with adequate reinforcement while models with legs can be installed without additional support in the walls.

Transfer benches that cross the tub width can have shower curtain slits in them to eliminate water flowing outside the bathtub. Partnered with a tub insert and grab bars, this combination provides for extremely safe and enjoyable bathing.

A grab bar is one of the simplest and easiest ways to help keep bathing safe. Yet there is still an enormous stigma about having them. Every one of our clients wishes that they have gotten them sooner when the finally do. There are no excuses not to have grab bars. Each and every bathing area should have them to keep bathers from falls.

Accessable keeps a wide range of lengths and styles in stock.We offer a wide range of bars to meet the price point and tastes of every client. There are straight bars, angled bars, curved bars, thick bars, stainless steel, chrome, white, knurled, peened, smooth, and the list goes on. We offer the bars AND installation service to ensure that the bars are securely mounted and in the correct location. Whether its fashion or function, a grab bar will help keep you safer.

There are essentially 2 ways to widen a doorway. The first and less expensive way uses Offset hinges to help to move the door out of the way. The ‘L’ shaped hinge moves the door out of the way as much as would be gained by removing the door. The gain is about 1.5” in width which can make a huge difference to a wheelchair or walker user getting through.

To gain more width than an offset hinge would provide, the door and frame can be made wider in most instances. Sometimes, electrical switches have to be moved  and a solution needs to be found for the missing flooring that usually results from the frame being moved back. Accessable has a number of unique solutions to consider from economical and quick to more time consuming and costly. The choice is the client’s!

A ramp simply bridges the height between two different planes. There are as many ramp variations as there are shoes. They all do the same thing but rarely are two the same. First consider placing your ramp at the rear of your home or inside your garage. The general rule for slope is 1:12 meaning 1” of rise to each 12” of run. Also, ramps should not practically exceed 36” high. So if you have more than 5 stairs, you should be looking at an Elevating Device. We can break down ramps into 3 major categories:

Threshold Ramps – To bridge that nasty bump through your doorway or over a very short distance, typically 3” or less. We offer the Ramp ‘n Roll product which is like Lego for ramp building. We particularly like this solution for patio doors where we can cut the material so that the only gap is where the door passes through. See our gallery of pictures to see what we mean. Other prefabricated solutions are available.

Metal Ramps – We have access to a couple of the major brand name metal ramp manufacturers. These ramps work well in areas that are easy to access. They are typically steel with a baked on finish or aluminum. The upside is that they have very low maintenance in our climate but they can be very costly and never quite fit into the landscape.

Custom Wood and Composite Ramps – More and more, we are using composite materials for outdoor decks and platforms. Most of our clients are looking for products that don’t require maintenance and Composite meets that need. When it comes to custom wood, our ramps range from pressure treated lumber with expanded metal lathe, to painted or stained versions with decorative handrails. Ramps are custom built on site. Using the right materials, they can enhance the appearance of your home.

Railings can be added to any ramp. In most jurisdictions, a railing is required for any elevation difference of 24” or more. For less than 24”, a 3” high curb is required to avoid someone stepping off the side or a wheel going over the edge.

By definition, this category transports clients from one elevation plane to another. Typically, lifting devices take over from where ramps leave off or where space does not allow for a ramp. They are an excellent way to move between floors and generally fall into 4 categories:

Chairlifts – A device that is affixed to the treads of your stairs. A chair is provided to sit on while a battery driven motor travels along the rail from one floor to another. They have all the safety features you could ask for. There are indoor and outdoor models. They are economical for straight staircases and costs rise dramatically for curved ones. Different models can carry varying weight loads which can affect suitability, performance and product life! Call today for a complimentary assessment.

Incline Platforms (IPL) – Like a chairlift, this device transports users from floor to floor but has a platform for a wheelchair user. These are more often used indoors. They are considerably more expensive than a straight chairlift and require much more space but have significantly more to them. Again, call for an assessment and based on our understanding of your needs, we will make a recommendation.

Vertical Platform Lift (VPL) – Like an IPL, a VPL has a platform. But unlike it, a VPL goes straight up and down like an elevator. The most popular applications are for outdoors to elevate a client form a main floor to a porch or sundeck. That requires the least modifications. Otherwise, concrete pads may need to be poured or an access point created into the house. VPL’s have a tower on one side which is the electronics and gears. Considering other options, a VPL can be a very cost effective solution.

Elevators – The cost of residential elevators has come down relatively speaking. A great many people building custom homes are now incorporating one into their plans or at least the shaft for future addition. Retrofitting an existing home for one can be very costly due to the structural changes that need to take place. We’ve had a number of very successful clients who are pleased with their choices. Invite us over for an assessment to see if we can fit one into your plans!

Outdoor – Almost always, we defer to the well-known aluminum hand and wall rail products that are custom fabricated. With baked on finishes that last for many years, these rails are cost effective, simple, and effective. Our supplier fabricates great products, and they are helpful and knowledgeable on how to achieve the results we want. Be safe, get a railing installed! 

Indoor – Historically, we have made our own railings and painted them for along hallways and staircases. There are several wooden profiles to choose from. They can be finished with paint or stained and clear coated. See our gallery for some of the beautiful matching jobs we’ve done. We are also now sourcing prefabricated metal railings with decorative finishes. They are surprisingly affordable when compared to wooden railings when the cost of finishing wood ones is taken into account. Contact us today for an estimate.