What does maintaining the ability to have a bath mean to you?

Enabling people to continue enjoying what they’ve always done and having the opportunity to try new things is an overriding philosophy of care at Newlands, part of Warwickshire-based charity WCS Care, where freedom, choice and dignity are paramount.
Being able to bathe is an essential part of maintaining a routine of normality - for many with reducing functional decline and change, bathing can be one of the first areas of an individual’s routine that becomes affected. But Newlands believe your life doesn’t have to change when you move into a care home.
We spoke to Bonnie Burbury, Home Manager at Newlands in Kenilworth, about the importance of enabling a ‘normal’ routine, especially when it comes to bathing. “It is really important to us that we create a homely, inviting atmosphere and promote WCS Care’s values along the way. Our ambition is to make every day well lived for each and every person in our care. Personal care can sometimes seem daunting for residents, so to be able to offer a comfortable, relaxing environment with facilities such as the Reval Cocoon Ergo bath is great – it increases the length of time a person may spend in the bath; beneficial for both personal hygiene and wellbeing. There are a lot of physical benefits too - with Multiple Sclerosis for example, or conditions that affect muscles, being able to soak in the bath may relax or stimulate muscles and have a positive impact.

“Many residents living at Newlands are unable to address their balance, meaning that bathing can be difficult at times. The moulded shape of the Ergo Bath provides the feeling of stability, support, and safety, meaning bathing feels safer and becomes a much more enjoyable experience.”

Bonnie adds: “The Ergo has encouraged residents to use bathing facilities other than the shower. It enables them to relax and wind-down comfortably, whilst increasing a sense of well-being and independence. It also provides freedom when attending to personal hygiene routines by enabling those that can to independently wash their own hair - something that can often be taken for granted but provides a sense of empowerment and independence.
“We have a gentleman that much prefers a bath but before we had the Ergo Bath he refused and often used the shower instead. Since having the Reval bath, he uses it frequently, as the moulded seated end makes him feel secure yet free.”
Ergonomically shaped, with posture management built in, the Ergo range of high dependency bathing systems raise the bar in improving patient outcomes and wellbeing. The bath supports users to immerse deeper into the bath providing a more comfortable and relaxing experience, giving back to the user freedom of choice between a bath or shower.

Reval’s vision is to transform the lives of people living with health and mobility challenges by promoting hygiene and rehabilitative solutions that focus on the safe and dignified needs of each individual and the overall impact on their sustainable well-being. By providing innovative product solutions with exceptional levels of service, we are recognised globally as industry experts and the first-choice supplier for acute and long-term care.