BATHROOMS & SHOWERS
the inclusion of solutions such as a Rimfree toilet. Originally developed for the healthcare sector, Rimfree WCs leave nowhere for dirt and germs to collect.
All-inclusive
A few simple tweaks can make a bathroom a much more user friendly place, and this is where merchants can really maximise on sales and provide guidance to their customers, Ward says.
. “Shallow depth washbasins, for example, provide better access for wheelchair users, while cupboard doors with shelving so the small or less able don’t have to reach far inside. “Comfort height toilets, positioned to make it easier to get on and off the
pan can be a great addition too. For the very young, toilet training can be encouraged using adaptable seats in child-sized proportions. The Twyford family seat, for example, available in the e100 range, includes a soft-close mechanism to protect little hands for added safety.”
Future-proofing the bathroom sector
With a growing number of more elderly people in our population, thermostatic showers are becoming ever more sought after thanks to their ability to precisely control water temperature and ‘lock out’ the risk of scalding.
DEMAND FOR ENHANCED bathroom products with the comfort and safety of the elderly in mind is growing
Among these are many with dementia, which currently affects around 850,000 people in the UK and according to the Alzheimer’s Society, this number is set to rise to over one million by 2025.
Providing a safe environment for this potentially vulnerable group has gone way beyond just nursing homes or care bathrooms within social housing properties, albeit they are still very looking councils, private landlords and housing associations are now their properties as a matter of policy thermostatic showers offer before it becomes a necessity.
They recognise that by choosing as the tenant grows older, they will save time and money as well as providing the user with a better quality experience. Families with young children who choose to install a thermostatic shower will increased safety, guaranteed comfort and peace of mind. Whilst multi- generational living is becoming much more common, with the elderly moving into their offspring’s house, often requiring a care shower installation.
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Also, market conditions in general for shower sales in the UK are hugely the sector grew by 5% in 2015 with an increase of a further 14% predicted by 2019. Another independent forecasted 10% growth in the shower market leading up to 2020. This would be the equivalent of a £50 million increase in sales. So plenty of reasons to be optimistic.
The opportunity for merchants Richard Braid, Head of Showers and Water Heating at Redring, says that counter-staff in builders’ merchants can play their part in this care ‘revolution’ by promoting the thermostatic option to installers and contractors. In many ways it is a sales opportunity waiting to be taken advantage of, for with housing and care budgets under severe strain the drive to support independent living is gaining fresh momentum. Responsibility, the advisory non- departmental body set up by the UK government to provide ‘independent’ the pressures facing the public purse. It drew attention to the expected increase in the cost of health and social care in decades to come as by England and Wales is forecast to be
“However, while older people are making up a greater proportion of the population, the ‘entry point’ into the thermostatic market is getting purchases, worth some £14 million, were transacted by people from the the merchant is broadening.” Braid says that, by recommending a thermostatic shower to their customers, merchants will be supporting this push to help people living on their own to maintain an independent lifestyle. “It also opens up the business opportunity to supply associated products that are suitable for a dementia-friendly bathroom such as a shower seat, non-slip mats, hand rails and an extended shower hose,” he adds.
With the number of those living with dementia set to continue to rise for years to come, knowledge of an appropriately designed bathroom with the right shower is critical.
Desirable features
In advising installers and contractors showers, merchant procurement and counter-staff should look for product ranges with a number of key features. Braid says: “One of the most important is the functionality to accurately control the temperature
April 2017 BMJ
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