Baths – closets – sinks – and spittoons – Shower – Convenience accessories
Patent
1994-03-14
1997-01-07
Recla, Henry J.
Baths, closets, sinks, and spittoons
Shower
Convenience accessories
4604, 45781, A47K 312
Patent
active
055904270
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a shower sitting structure, comprising a frame and seat support elements forming seat support surfaces for supporting a user's body, in which the seat support elements comprise two thigh supporting parts disposed symmetrically on either side of a vertical plane and having rear regions and front regions, the front regions being designed to support parts of the user's thighs nearer the knee, and the seat support elements being formed in such a way that in the region where the user's buttocks will lie during use, they form an essentially horizontal free passage from back to front to the perineum, the structure further comprising a back support element for the back regions of a user. Such a shower sitting structure is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,590 and is intended in particular for users who have one or more physical disabilities as a result of illness or age, and require a support temporarily or all the time while they are taking a shower.
The abovementioned users can be old people or people suffering from diseases such as rheumatism, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, paraplegia, muscular diseases, hemiplegia etc., or people who have become handicapped as the result of an accident. Many of these users can stand up only for a short time, or cannot stand at all, and will therefore have to take their shower sitting down. Other users need a shower seat support only for certain actions, and for yet other users the seat support is not necessary, but it can provide a comfortable rest point while taking the shower. By sitting on a shower seat support, the users, who are often limited in their movements through a handicap or age, will be more likely to be able to carry out certain washing operations themselves, which gives them a greater sense of well-being and also means that there is less call for a carer.
One problem connected with the use of a seat support when taking a shower is that the parts of the body on which the user is resting are less accessible for washing. A carer is therefore more likely to be needed to give assistance in the washing.
The shower sitting structure shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,590 is provided with straight, flat and apparently hard elements which extend until under the buttocks and the ischial tuberosities, thereby leading to high, unpleasant pressures.
The object of the invention is then to provide a shower sitting structure which produces an improvement here and increases the user's ability to help himself.
That object is achieved by having a shower sitting structure being characterized in that the back support element at its bottom end forms a supporting part for the region of the user's back in the vicinity of the sacrum, in that the rear regions of the thigh supporting parts form the rear edges of the seat support surfaces and in that the rear regions of the thigh supporting parts extend up until short of the buttocks and do not extend under the ischial tuberosities of a user.
These measures make taking a shower a more pleasant experience for the user, while fewer actions are needed by user or carer.
The rear regions of the thigh supporting parts preferably form the rear edges of the seat support surfaces. This means that the user's bottom will, as it were, stick out backwards from the thigh supporting parts, so that virtually all of the buttock area is simple to reach from behind and from the sides. In this case, it is very advantageous if the seat supporting elements are formed in such a way that their seat support surfaces leave the ischial tuberosities of the user free, so that these places are also easily accessible and cannot be subjected to high, unpleasant pressures.
The back support element being in the region of the sacrum means that the user, with his thighs resting on the seat support surfaces, will experience greater sitting stability, which prevents the user from being able to slide too far back, and his pelvis from being able to tilt backwards.
The seat support surfaces of the thigh supporting parts in the rear regions and in the fr
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de Jong Willem G. L.
Nieuwenhuis Franciscus J. M.
Weterings Wilhelmine M. M.
B.V. Linido
Eloshway Charles R.
Marn Louis E.
Recla Henry J.
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