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The Adjustable mobile shower chair with “brake”.

THE PROBLEM: ]The client had very limited mental and motor skills and a number of deformities. The client's weight had increased to about 110 lbs and the care-givers were finding great difficulty in maneuvering the client in and out of the shower, supporting the cleint on a bath chair in the shower, and washing the client. The need was for a stable, corrosion-resistant carriage. It should move easily but it should not move while the client was being transferred to it or from it, or while the client was under the shower. It should also fit the client’s unique body shape and be adjustable. It should be upholstered as the client would be in it for half an hour at a time. There should also be a commode pail.

THE SOLUTION:  The carriage has two straight castors at the front, and two feet fitted with cane tips at the back. It is moved with the two handles much like a wheelbarrow or a cart at a garden center. The main frame is made of ¾ inch thick wall copper plumbing pipe and soldered fittings, and it is slightly narrower at the front than at the back. The main cross beam is of timber and it is attached to a horizontal member of the copper main frame with U-bolts. The seat is hinged from the timber beam and its angle is set by two props of ½’ copper pipe. These tubes pass through holes in timber slats, and hose clips are fastened to each tube on both sides of the slat. The footrest is adjustable for height. The two verticals of the backrest are also hinged from the timber beam, and the angle of this backrest is also set by two props. The client had a V-shaped back, the backrest is divided in two down the middle, and each side is hinged from one of the vertical members. These two flaps are adjustable along the vertical members. The headrest is adjustable in three dimensions. Additional parts can be added as needed, such as the small wings at the side of the seat and footrest: these keep the client’s knee and foot on the chair. A slide-in commode pail was provided, but was found to have limited use.

The wood used for the backrest and footrest is cedar, the joining brackets are aluminum, fasteners are stainless steel with Loctite where possible. The blue padding is cut from the closed cell rubber foam that is normally used for camping pads. It is clipped to aluminum angles with chip clips (large plastic spring clips used for sealing bags of munchies such as potato chips - or crisps, a they are called in the UK). After the shower, the pads are un-clipped and draped over the unit so that they may dry completely. The brackets of the casters are plated steel, as these are readily available. The timber slat to which the casters are mounted can be located anywhere along the bottom rail of the main frame. The original seat was of painted plywood, the intention was to eventually make a permanent one from thick plastic such as UHMWPE. The main frame could be used as the base structure for a variety of special carriages. The ultimate strength of this unit is unknown, but it was tested with a 200 lb weight and it rolled over low thresholds with no distress. For heavier people, larger diameter tubing or a stronger material may be advisable. Copper pipe was used for this project as its strength was adequate, it is readily available, it can be joined easily, and it does not corrode.

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