Choosing the Right Door for a Family Member
The most painful thing about getting older is seeing your loved ones struggle with something that normally would be so easy for anyone else. My aunt was the one that I had to watch struggle with every day tasks like opening jars or going up stairs. It was so hard to help her in and out of a shower and in and out of bed. When we decided to start making things easier for her to do, we went with the shower first and looked into shower doors in New Jersey to find something easier for her to use.
I went to the store on my own, looking for anything that would be easy to open and easy to close. The door she had at the time, was a standard open and close door that you use like any other door. Her hand could barely grip the handle to open it and often the door just would close back on her while she’s trying to get into the shower. After I explained this to a sales person, she asked if I was looking for something in particular in the way of the door. I told her that I was willing to do anything as long as it was safe and easy for my aunt to open and close.
She lead me to the frame less sliding doors and explained to me that most handicapped customers they have like these the most. They are easy to get in and out of and they do not make them feel like they are burdening anyone. She explained that they can also have handrails put on the shower to help with stability. As far as the material the shower can be made out of, she suggested acrylic over the other options because it’s strong and easier to keep clean. With all of this knowledge, I made the purchase of sliding doors for my aunt.
After the doors were installed, my aunt raved about how perfect they were for her and how much easier it was for her to go in and out of the shower. She was so happy that she got a small bit of freedom back. She also loved the rails that were put in so she could have something to hold onto if needed.