Challenge
11-year-old Muhammad Habib was starved of oxygen at birth, which resulted in a hypoxic brain injury. This means that Muhammad has cerebral palsy with spastic quadriplegia, which has left him with severe mobility issues along with impaired vision. When he is not at school, Muhammad has round-theclock care from professional carers during the day, while his parents take over at night. Muhammad and his family recently moved into their new family home, and they wanted a home featuring all the equipment needed to help with Muhammad’s daily care.
”Severe mobility issues along with impaired vision.”
Strategy
In the family’s new purpose-built home, they wanted a bathroom that would make their daily routines easier – for Muhammed as well as for his parents and professional carers.
It was important to the family that it felt like a family home and not a care home, and to achieve that they wanted solutions that blended into the home effortlessly.
”The ROPOX equipment is fantastic.”
Solution
Muhammad’s father first saw the ROPOX shower seat and height-adjustable shower/changing bed at Naidex, UK’s biggest event for the disability community, prior to building the new home and knew immediately that he had found two products that would be a game changer for Muhammad.
The family installed a folding wall-mounted shower/changing bed and shower seat in Muhammad’s ensuite wetroom and another shower/changing bed next to his hydrotherapy pool.
”Showering is now a very relaxing and more dignified experience.”
Result
The shower beds enable Muhammad’s family and carers to obtain optimum working conditions, while the flexible slats ensure the user is comfortable at all times. Furthermore, they find it very user-friendly and easy to clean, and Muhammad is very relaxed when using both items.
The shower/changing bed and shower seat make showering a very relaxing and more dignified experience for Muhammad and much easier for his carers and parents. Having a changing bed next to the hydrotherapy pool also makes a huge difference as it eliminates the need to dry Muhammad and then move him to his bedroom to get dressed. As the beds in both the wetroom and hydrotherapy room are height-adjustable, they can be used by different caregivers regardless of height.
The family has been very impressed with both the shower/changing bed and the shower seat because they have made it possible to create shower facilities that look like a family home and not a clinical setting, while being robust, high-quality and highly durable.