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The Role of a Bidet in Disability and Elderly Care

What started off as a medieval toilet experiment in France has become a bathroom standard in many Japanese and other home is the East. The bidet is something that we are, unfortunately, not accustomed to in our private and public toilets. However, this simple contraption has the power not only ease the lives or hale folks but those with disabilities and seniors as well.

Old age is a precautious time in our lives that requires all the help we can get. The same goes for people for disability who are on the constant lookout for aids that can help them on a daily basis. When it comes to using the bathroom, few fixtures are more useful than a bidet. Let’s find out which and why.

A simple concept

Simplicity is the basic notion behind everything we user every day. That is why a bidet is so useful when it comes to visiting the lavatory. The main difference between a bidet and a conventional toilet bowl is in the wiping technique. Instead of using roll after roll of toilet paper (around 120 per year, to be more exact), bidet uses only a soothing stream of water to operate. Mild jets of lukewarm water and your hand is all the cleaning you will ever need. If you think this procedure is unsanitary and outright gross, keep in mind that you wash your hands afterwards, just as you would do after using toilet paper.

Who benefits the most from using a bidet?

Using a bidet makes cleaning yourself easier and reduces exposure to germs. Also, it prevents diseases like constipation and hemorrhoids, as well as urinary tract, anal and vaginal infections. Namely, the paper is not an effective way to clean yourself after using the toilet because it can leave traces behind thus causing these infections.

Haemorrhoids can be a big problem, but using a bidet means you can alleviate, and even prevent, this issue easily. Today more and more people suffer from haemorrhoids. The common causes are poor dietary choices, sitting all day, and a lack of fibre in our diets.

Bidets are not medicinal in nature so their true target group is every single man and woman. However, people who have skin conditions like hemorrhoids prefer to install them in their bathrooms. Furthermore, disabled people and seniors like to use them because they allow greater mobility. If you have mobility issues, then reaching out for toilet paper and the ensuing acrobatics cannot be good for your back.

Using a bidet require little to no strain, which is essential for many groups of people. In some cases, a bidet can make the difference between living alone and needing a medical technician to assist you. Retirement homes install bidets because many patients can go to the bathroom on their own, which would be impossible if they had conventional toilet bowls installed. Over time, this leads to a rise in the self-esteem of seniors who feel they are more independent if they don’t need assistance for such a delicate and intimate matter.

This having said, it becomes obvious why a person in a wheelchair would install a bidet. Greater mobility means less strain and more independence like the case of seniors. Furthermore, pregnant women also prefer to use a bidet because visiting the ladies room can be a painful experience during pregnancy. Even after childbirth, women can still benefit from a bidet because it helps them maintain the hygiene of their intimate parts that are highly irritable during this period.

The various attachments

A bidet might be simple in design but that doesn’t mean that it is rudimentary. In fact, modern bidets come equipped with a whole range of add-ons and luxury features that will make you actually want to go to the bathroom. One of the most standard features found on Japanese toilet seats is an air dryer. After you are done using the bidet, you can dry your bottom and intimate parts using hot air. There are even portable bidets that are essentially toilet seat add-ons that you can take with you on your travels and install on the toilet seat in your hotel room’s bathroom. One of the most interesting features are LED-lit bidets. They come in various colors and are powerful enough to light the entire room, without the need to switch the light on after dark.

Caring for the environment

When you reach a certain age, you become aware of the environmental print you leave every day. The aforementioned use of toilet paper makes a negative impact on the environment. Just think of the effort and energy needed to cut down a forest, transport the timber to a plant, process it, and deliver the toilet paper to your local supermarket. It’s a pure waste of our planet’s resources like fuel and energy, and the two don’t come cheap.

That is why seniors, like the ones in China, are becoming increasingly eco-aware, as they possess the capacity to understand that doing away with all that toilet paper is important. Health benefits set aside for a moment, don’t think that old people aren’t aware of the fact that using a bidet leaves a permanent legacy for the generations to come.

One-to-one replacement

The final advantage of a bidet is the fact that it can replace the old toilet bowl one-to-one. All you need is a water outlet nearby and the bidet is ready for use. Although the French word bidet might sound fancy, this bathroom fixture is easy to install and use. If you’re a concerned child of an ageing parent, then installing a bidet in the family home will improve the quality of your parent’s life significantly.

As you are aware by now, every person using a bidet will benefit from it. Seniors and people with a disability admittedly have the biggest health benefits but Mother Earth will also be grateful that you have made the conscious decision to preserve its rain forests.

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