“Cost-effective” accessible showering solution launches for those with visual impairments
Accessible bathroom specialist AKW has launched the Mullen shower tray, which aims to offer a cost-effective and strong level access showering solution for people with visual impairments.
Suitable for installation on either concrete or wooden flooring, the shower tray offers “unrivalled” strength and stability, supporting up to 30 stone in weight.
The shower tray can also be mounted on screeded floors, if required, with the addition of a trimmable ramp for easy access.
With more than two million people living with sight loss in the UK, according to the NHS, designing bathrooms that are easy to navigate is “essential”, AKW underlines.
Stuart Reynolds, Head of Product and Marketing at AKW, commented: “The Mullen shower tray offers specifiers a cost-effective yet strong level-access showering solution that has been designed for those with visual impairments.
“It is straightforward to install and offers a range of installation adaptation options, to meet the needs of any new or retrofit showering requirement.”
Which explains in an article that while adaptations can be expensive, they will often work out as more cost-effective than other options, such as moving house or residential care. The Mullen shower tray could help make a client’s bathroom more accessible and give them greater independence, meaning they can stay in their own home for longer.
AKW says it prioritised ease of installation with the Mullen shower tray, with pre-formed fixing holes for quickness. The corner waste position on many options of the tray is also designed to avoid joist placement issues.
The Mullen shower tray comes with a “unique” Intergrip clamping strip, which grips and seals vinyl flooring in the tray, creating a watertight seal.
Due to the flexibility of the clamping strip, flooring can also be fitted or changed after the tray and shower screen have been installed. Users can maintain level-access showering when using floor tiles, and these fit under the clamping strip, with built-in tiling upstands ensuring the all-round integrity of the water seals.
The shower tray can either be fitted as a level access solution, requiring a 27mm floor recess for installation, or it can be surface-mounted. The tray is slip-resistant and features a textured surface for added safety. With a 25mm fall inside the tray, there is also “excellent” water drainage.
In addition, AKW recently launched an occupational therapist-specified bathroom task focus lighting range into the care sector to help people with dementia or visual impairments.