According to national charity DLF (Disabled Living Foundation), there are 13.3m disabled people in the UK yet only 17% are born with their disability, most acquiring their disability in later life. For every 1000 people of working age in the UK, there are 308 of pensionable age, with this projected to increase to 365 by 2037. The ageing population and therefore the affect that this has on housing and specialised equipment, cannot be underestimated. Only 28% of wheelchair users are under the age of 60 and some 1.9m households contained at least one person who felt that their condition meant they required some adaptations to their home; the most common adaptations being grab rails, a new bath or shower to replace the bath.
Through ongoing research, we know that many consumers are trying to ‘future proof’ their bathrooms and installing walk-in baths a lot earlier in their lives as they see them as being highly practical as well as ensuring every member of the household can always have the pleasure of a bath, no matter what their physical ability. While in the past a product that helped to aid ‘independent living’ was never seen to be stylish, consumer demands are changing and just because an individual has some physical limitations, does not mean that this has to negatively impact the design and style of their home.
Moving forward we expect to see the category evolve to offer a much wider range of baths, showers and accessories that look great and are marketed in a much more appealing way too! From walk-in baths to mixer taps that are anti-scald, there are so many ways in which a bathroom can be future-proofed and made safer for all. We don’t believe that the design of a bathroom should be compromised by ‘independent living’ products and hope to be part of a revolution that ensures all consumers have a beautiful bathroom, regardless of age, physical ability or gender.
That is what here at Trojan Baths, we wanted to be sure that we had a range that offered not only a safe product but a range that looks great too. As we all age, it doesn’t mean we lose our sense of style or want a less aspirational bathroom and we wanted to develop our range so that everybody living in the home would be proud to futureproof their bathrooms with products that they know will stand the test of time – both functionally as well as aesthetically.
In relaunching the Bathe Easy brand for 2019, we have introduced a wider range of products that cater to all generations, focussing more on a beautiful bathroom that offers extra functionality for all users rather than just products designed specifically for a disability or age.
The use of silver and chrome is prominent throughout the Bathe Easy brand, with the addition of stylish folding grab rails, in a range of sizes, as well as vertical grab rails that include a hand shower holder, and practical products such as bath seats and wall hung tilting seats, for extra comfort in the bath and shower. Our bath offering has been further enhanced with the introduction of the Marcella and Liberty baths, which both have lifting and manoeuvring capabilities for those with more specialist requirements, as well as the deep soak Freedom and Serenity baths. Take a look at bathe-easy.co.uk for more info.
