If you have difficulty with mobility standing up from a toilet is a daily movement that can carry difficulty and risk. In specialised disabled bathrooms toilets are often higher and are flanked by support rails to make it easier, but at home this is rarely the case. To provide assistance in this scenario there are various mobility products available, two of which are the toilet frame and toilet seat raiser. But which of these is best for your requirements?
The Toilet Frame
Provides Stable Support
The biggest strength of a toilet frame is exactly that; its strength. The construction of a toilet frame means its capable of staying sturdy and stable when you lean on it to push yourself up from the seat and as you lower yourself down. This stability is available in abundance with the XL Kibworth toilet frame. Capable of supporting up to 29st 13lbs it’s even suitable for users who have bariatric related mobility restrictions or poor balance.
Require Upper Body Strength
The trade off of having the exceptional strength of a toilet frame is that it requires the user to have some level of upper body strength to use it independently. This doesn’t mean they need to be very strong, just able to push themselves up. This of course makes it unsuitable for anyone who has severe disability or weakness in their arm muscles or joints. However, most toilet frames are height adjustable to reduce the range of motion needed in the arms to use them.
Suitable for All Toilets
A toilet frame also has the benefit of being universal in its design. The simple box shape makes it capable of being placed over any toilet. No need for measurements or particular seat shapes, just put it together and place it where you need it. This also makes moving it away from the seat just as easy for when others who don’t require it need to use the toilet.
The Toilet Seat Raiser
#Space Saving
A toilet seat raiser is ideal if you have a compact bathroom – perhaps located under the stairs – as a toilet frame may simply take up too much space with its wide stance. A toilet seat raiser can be placed on top of the loo without taking up any extra floor space. As can be seen with the Raised Toilet Seat with Lid you can have several inches of extra height without a millimetre more of width.
Requires More Balance
A toilet seat raiser may lift the height of the height of the seat, but it doesn’t have the sturdy surrounding construction of a toilet frame. This means that it does require a level of balance if you want to use it independently. Although some toilet seat raisers do have armrests to hold onto – like the Europa – they do not compensate for poor balance quite as much as a highly rigid frame. This makes it an important area to consider when selecting your mobility aid.
Reduces the Range of Motion Needed
Another advantage of a toilet seat raiser is that it reduces the range of motion needed to stand up and sit down. If you have stiffness or restrictions in your movement then standing from a fully seated position can be very difficult. By lifting the seat, the angle you need to push up from is much shallower, reducing the physical effort required and lowering the chance of having a fall in a hard-surfaced bathroom.
Now you know the pros and cons of each of these mobility aids you can pick the one that caters best to your needs.