Why this is often your purchase, not the hospital’s
Walking aids are commonly lent or covered. Bathroom equipment often is not. In the US, shower chairs and transfer benches are usually not covered by insurance, so they tend to be yours to buy. In the UK an occupational therapist may assess your bathroom and arrange equipment, but there can be a wait. Either way, ask at your pre-assessment first. If nothing is offered, this is one of the few purchases worth making before you go in.
A small round or square seat on four legs, without a back. It takes up very little room, which makes it the only thing that fits in many small shower cubicles.
Good for: walk-in showers with limited space, and people who mainly need a short rest rather than full support.
Less good for: anyone with hip precautions, a weak trunk, or poor balance, because there is nothing to lean back on and nothing to hold as you sit and stand.
Option 2: a shower chair with a back
A seat with a backrest and usually armrests, on legs with rubber tips. You sit down in the shower, wash, and push up from the arms to stand. MedlinePlus recommends a shower chair with rubber tips, with soap and shampoo kept within reach so you do not have to twist or stand to reach them.
Good for: walk-in showers with a level or low step, and most people after hip, knee, spine or major abdominal surgery. The backrest and arms make sitting and standing far safer.
Less good for: baths. A chair placed inside a bath means stepping over the high side first, which is exactly the movement you are trying to avoid.
Option 3: a tub transfer bench
A long bench that sits with two legs inside the bath and two legs outside on the bathroom floor. You sit down on the outside end, then slide across into the bath, lifting your legs over the side one at a time while seated. To get out, you reverse it.
Good for: anyone whose only shower is over a bath. It removes the most dangerous step in the bathroom, lifting a leg high over the bath edge while standing on a wet surface. It is particularly useful after hip and knee replacement, when bending the hip or knee that far may be hard or not allowed.
Less good for: walk-in showers (it is the wrong shape) and small bathrooms where the outside legs block the floor.
Side by side
| Shower stool | Shower chair with back | Tub transfer bench |
|---|
| Walk-in shower | Yes, if small | Yes, best choice | No |
| Shower over a bath | No | Not recommended | Yes, best choice |
| Back support | No | Yes | Yes |
| Arms to push up from | No | Usually | Usually one side |
| Space needed | Least | Moderate | Most |
| Suits hip precautions | Not ideal | Yes | Yes |
Measure before you buy
Most returns happen because the seat does not fit the bathroom. Five minutes with a tape measure avoids that.
For a walk-in shower: measure the floor of the tray and the width of the door opening. Leave enough room to turn and sit, and check the chair’s feet will sit flat on the tray rather than straddling the drain or a ridge.
For a bath: measure the inside width of the bath at the point where the bench will sit, and the height of the bath edge from the floor. Transfer benches have adjustable legs, but each model has a range, and the inside legs must reach the bottom of the bath.
For any seat: check the weight limit, and check the seat height is adjustable so your hips sit a little higher than your knees. That makes standing up easier and, after a hip replacement, keeps the hip from bending too far.
A seat on its own is half the answer. A few small things finish the job.
A handheld shower head. If you are sitting, a fixed overhead shower is awkward. A handheld head on a long hose lets you wash sitting down and keep the spray off a wound you have been told to keep dry.
Non-slip mats. MedlinePlus suggests non-slip suction mats or decals inside the bath or shower and a non-skid mat outside it.
Grab bars, not towel rails. Two grab bars, mounted vertically or horizontally, one to help you in and out and one to help you stand. Towel rails and soap dishes are not designed to take your weight and can pull off the wall.
A long-handled sponge. For your lower legs and feet, so you do not bend forward on the seat.
Our bathroom preparation guide covers setting all of this up before you go into hospital.
The first shower home
Ask someone to be in the house, or with you, for your first shower. Run the water and set the temperature before you sit down. Keep everything you need within reach of the seat. Dry yourself sitting down, including your feet, before you stand. And follow the advice you were given about keeping the wound dry, which may mean a waterproof dressing or no shower at all for the first few days.
The short version
Walk-in shower: a shower chair with a back and arms, or a stool if space is very tight. Shower over a bath: a tub transfer bench, so you never have to step over the bath edge standing up. Measure first, add a handheld shower head and a non-slip mat, and ask your hospital team whether they will supply or recommend a particular model. Your surgical team’s advice on washing and wound care comes first.