Concerned that elderly inlaws are being talked in to having a wet room

[LindorDoubleChoc]

Elderly inlaws could definitely benefit from having a large walk-in shower (rather than their current shower over bath arrangement) but as they only have one toilet and one bathroom (the toilet is in this one bathroom) - surely a wet room is a slipping hazard for every other time they need to use the bathroom?

The bathroom is a decent size. They could have the bath taken out and an enclosed shower cubicle installed, which would ensure the rest of the room especially the floor stays dry. Why hasn't the plumber suggested this, are wet rooms more expensive?

Am I missing something here that's not obvious?

Ah ok. Wet room to me means the shower is not separated off at all. Different interpretations.

Even a walk in shower has a step.

A wet room drains, has non slip tiling and doesn’t stay wet. They’re much safer for elderly

I think it’s just a completely waterproof (tiled) room with a drain in the floor. Whether you want a screen or not is up to the individual- not particularly a defining feature.

Ok. Ours isn’t completely waterproof -
the tanking extends a bit outside the shower but doesn’t cover the full room. So I guess it’s not a wetroom? but it does have a zero entry shower.

I am physically disabled and initially had a shower over the bath with a swivel seat. This was advised at the time as my two DC were young and still liked to have a bath. When DD moved out in 2020, I had the bathroom refitted with a walk-in shower which I paid for myself (DS wasn't that fussed and just went round to his sister's when he fancied a bath). Hopefully this will suffice, but if not, I will have to ask the local authority to install a wet room for me. It's not something I really want as their installations are very basic and not really aesthetically pleasing. I just have to try and keep as mobile as possible!

For DM we had the bath removed and a floor level shower tray 2/3rds of a bath in length with half height shower surround fitted. Great as carers can shower her without getting wet themselves.

We have just had a bath with shower over it replaced by a spacious accessible walk-in shower.

The shower tray has a very low step up & is anti slip. There is a fold down seat and a grab rail. We also replaced an ancient carpet with anti slip vinyl on the floor.

It seems to be working well so far, was much cheaper than a wet room to install and less hassle, and was VAT-free as DP are considered disabled.

We are just considering this. As you are elderly and needing care it gets to the point where someone needs to help you shower. This is possible in a wet room but not in a shower cubicle. For this reason we’re going for the wet room.

Most wetrooms have a divider to contain the water . We have a very open wet room (for good reason) and while most of the floor gers wet, the whole floor is of a non-slip material. Slipping would not be an issue at all. We have a squeegee thing and give it a quick dry with that and it's dry in no time.

I’m an OT. A well designed wet room is always preferable to a shower cubicle. If it has good non-slip flooring and a divider, it won’t be a slipping hazard. I’ve met lots of people over the years who changed their bath for a shower cubicle and then found it was inaccessible. Cubicles are often too small to accommodate a seat / stool. Even a small step can be a barrier when stepping in and out and you certainly can’t push a wheeled shore chair on and out of one.
A wet room is much more future-proof.

My husband is a plumber and refuses to fit wet rooms. For elderly people especially, its a nightmare waiting to happen.

How come? They are literally the sort of people wet rooms are meant for.

This is a really odd comment! Wet rooms done well are ideal for older people. Why are they a nightmare waiting to happen?!

The plumber could be a charlatan, but a traditional shower cubicle with tray isn't truly accessible because there will always be a small step to get in.

It depends on the wet room and the fitting of it.

When I moved in (New build HA) I had what was supposed to be a wet room, I had so many problems eventually the HA put a bath in.

When I first moved in the base of the shower was a heavy metal sort of gate, I couldn't lift it to clean. Also 'gunk' kept coming out of the floor.

Then they tried a different floor and I had a sort of glass gate to try to keep the water in.

The shower drain was actually higher than the rest of the floor.

When they came to put the bath in all the tiles from around the shower fell off because the wall behind the tiles was soaked.

I now have a bath with a shower over, various grab handles and bath board that you can sit on to use the shower.

Explore all options.

This. All safety considerations will be properly assessed. Our wet room is very safe for all uses.

Sounds like that was a terrible initial fit 🙈

It sounds like you were very unlucky and got something which shouldn’t even be classed as a wet room if the tiles fell off because of water ingress and the drain wasn’t sunk.

A bath with a board over it is not a long term option for someone whose mobility is likely to worsen. I had this set up but it became inaccessible to me and I now have a proper wet room.

Oh the builders were absoloute cowboys.