With too many homes stacking up enough monthly expenses as it is, it’s hard not to let go of that dream sailing boat, trip to Europe, or even simple health necessities such as prescribed medicine and the like. With around 5% of all Americans working multiple jobs and another 5% left unemployed, it’s easy to look at basic needs as luxuries.
A Luxury or a Necessity?
Seniors limited by their fading capacities to be as mobile as they once were know that they have to pay at least $1,000 to get a standard accessible soaker, and a couple-or-so thousand to get one with whirlpool jets or air bath for their arthritis or other bodily complications that keep them from bathing independently.
Seniors & What Domestic Spaces Mean to Them
There’s a harsh irony in knowing that aging seniors are among the most affected by depression and lowered self-esteem due to their inability to bathe independently, all the while being the number one victim to slip-and-fall accidents in the bathtub (mostly around the 80-years-old age group). Studies show that our older relatives would rather carry out their daily tasks on their own without assistance from other family members or caregivers.
Why Walk-In Tubs Are Not Covered
In most states, walk-in tubs are not counted as “durable medical equipment” by Medicare’s standards, even though they’re known to deliver substantial therapeutic benefits to their users. They may not necessarily heal a person from their arthritis-driven diet constraints, but they consistently reduce inflammation and pain, treat bruised joints and muscles, and help alleviate the body from the daily grind. Just because a household commodity does not heal a condition or disease, that doesn’t mean it can’t prevent potential symptoms from occurring down the road. Yet, this is the catch-22 of our government regulated medical insurers.
What Health Benefits Do Walk-In Tubs Have?
There is a whole host of medical and therapeutic benefits that the walk-in bathtub offers. From the light cardiovascular exercises that water immersion causes, to the full spectrum of air and water massage systems which accelerate healing of damaged tissue, muscles, and joints.
Soaking alone can greatly improve a person’s health as it relieves the body from 90% of the gravitational forces. A temporary respite from gravity enables the major muscle groups to achieve a wider range of motion that an aging body couldn’t have achieved on its own, allowing the user to perform and execute actions throughout their day with more livelihood and optimism.
Massage systems that incorporate air or whirlpool jets apply rhythmic pressure to damaged body parts, increasing the blood flowing to them and the healing agents that it carries with it. Apart from pain alleviation, massages can either relax or stimulate an individual, depending on the intensity of the pressure applied. Generally, air baths generate thousands of minuscule bubbles that soothe the body while whirlpool systems apply more pressure, move muscles, and make the individual feel more confident about their mobility.