Autumn is upon us and here at Trojan we are all looking forward to the nights drawing in, as it justifies log fires, hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows and long soaks in the bath, while the rain pounds the window outside.
However, for many, the joys of a relaxing hot bath are off limits due to physical disabilities or impairments. With a rapidly ageing population in the UK, our very own Chairman celebrating his 90th birthday in 2 weeks and a desire to ensure every body can enjoy a bath, our Bathe Easy range was launched in 2018 and continues to evolve and grow through 2019 and into 2020. In the coming weeks there will be a real focus on the brand as we highlight some key stats – that you may or may not find surprising – to explain why we have developed the range that we have and to demonstrate we really do have a bath for every body!
Below is just a brief summary of the UK market at the moment but be sure to look out for our various communications in the coming weeks and if you’d like to hear more, just give us a call…
In the UK today there are 11.6m people who are classified as disabled, with 5.1m of these being at state pension age (60 for women and 65 for men). By 2037, there are projected to be 1.42million more households headed by someone aged 85 or over as a result of our ageing population*. However, the houses that are being built at present do not always account for this change in population or change in living conditions. There is already a significant shortage of accessible homes in the UK, with the latest English housing survey showing that only 7% of homes meet basic accessibility needs**. While many see our older generations moving into care homes, only 3.2% of those aged 65 and over live in care homes, the remainder of our older generations live in mainstream housing, with 80% of them stating this is also where they want to stay in later life too***.
This is where home adaptations are crucial, to improve quality of life, with practical improvements that allow for the continuation of everyday activities, such as having a bath or shower without assistance. 1 in 3 people aged 65 and over suffer from a fall each year^ and with those aged 85 and over spending over 80% of their time in their home, these falls are likely to happen in their everyday surroundings, such as the bathroom.
Multigenerational living is also becoming more widely recognised, with a National House Building Council (NHBC) 2017 report stating an increase of 38% between 2009 and 2014 of multigenerational households. Driven by factors such as financial necessity, the pooling of resources and childcare needs, multigenerational living means that many aspects of the house must reflect the needs of all those that live there.
Our Bathe Easy range has a host of products that address all needs, from walk-in shower baths, to deep soak bath, through to power traverse bath and a concise range of accessories that are designed to keep users safe in the bathroom environment.
*Source: DCLG (2012) 2012 - based household projections
**Source: DCLG (2016), English housing survey 2014 to 2015: adaptations and accessibility of homes report
***Source: Lloyd, J. (2015) Open Plan: Building a strategic policy towards older owners London: Strategic Society Centre
^Source: NICE Quality standard QS86, Falls in older people, March 2015
