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My mom is 84 and lives by herself wit moderate dementia. There will be contractors coming to the house to make improvements for the house. They will be installing a new handicapped shower installed with grab bars. They will remove the big bathtub. The contractors want to know if we want a glass shower door or to have shower curtains. I want to know what would be best for my mom?

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Freqflyer, glad to know I am not the only one who has things lingering on their to-do list!!! ;-)
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Momcare, it is still on my to-do list :P

Just too many interruptions to set aside weeks of construction to schedule it. I should have had it done last year. Could kick myself for not doing it.
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Freqflyer, how did installing the walk-in shower work out? Thinking of getting one done for mom so she has no threshold to cross. I had been thinking of doing a walk-in tub until I discovered the thresholds can be quite high. Plus I don't like the whole "waiting til it fills" aspect.
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I would vote for curtain since it is easier to replace and further if she ever needs assistance with bathing by a caretaker then it is easier for them to assist thru the shower curtain. Further if mom were to fall, she might be less likely to get trapped behind door or worse shatter the door.
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No glass doors. Nursing homes use just a curtain, which is much safer.
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I found for myself that not long after I got glass shower doors, I started to feel claustrophobic any time I was in the shower.... that was so weird.... so now I need to keep both doors opened a bit, which helps.

And as GardenArtist had mentioned, cleaning those glass doors... mine look like they came off the showroom floor.... my significant others, well let's say the doors look like what one might find in a gas station bathroom :P

I plan this Fall to also change a bathtub over to a walk-in shower, actually gut the whole bathroom as there is a water leak.... yikes, very expensive, but it has to be done.
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Shower doors need to be cleaned and can trap moisture. That's extra work for whoever handles the cleaning... you??

And depending on the configuration and size of the bathroom, a door may take up valuable space.

I'd opt for a curtain.

Make sure they understand all the grab bars need to be anchored in studs; mollies aren't acceptable in lieu of anchoring in studs. When I had grab bars installed in my shower area the carpenter (who should have known better) tried to get away with just using mollies.

I hope you checked the contractor's background and confirmed that it has the capability to remove the tub and replace with a shower pan that's properly installed, and according to your local plumbing codes?

And kudos to you for making these modifications to help your mother age in place!
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If she needs or may ever need a shower chair to sit on a curtain is usually easier unless it is a very large shower where she could walk in, shut the door and still have room to maneuver to the chair.
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Perhaps the shower will be deep enough, that it doesn't need either.

I am thinking about my 4yo granddaughter, that has just started using the shower. She bangs that door, almost shuts her hand in it and sometimes falls against it. (Will your mom be seated, and supervised?)
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