Method and apparatus for bathing

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a swiveling seat for a bathtub or bathtub/shower combination. The rotating seat has a support structure that locates the seat securely above, and on the sidewall, of a bathtub. The seat comprises an upwardly facing planar surface that rotates 360 degrees around a vertical axis and has a downwardly extending support structure for engaging the sidewall of a bathtub. Before bathing a person may sit on the seat with their legs positioned outside the bathtub, lift their legs, and then swivel the seat about 180 degrees so that the legs may be lowered inside the bathtub. After bathing a person then lifts his feet, swivels back around the 180 degrees, and places his feet on the floor outside the bathtub.

1 . A bathing apparatus which comprises
 (a) a support structure with leg means thereon for mounting downwardly over each side of the uppermost portion of a sidewall of a bathtub;   (b) a seat located above said support structure and having horizontal swivel means connecting the seat to the support structure;   (c) means on said leg means for holding said support structure stabilized around said bathtub sidewall while said seat is in use.   
     
     
         2 . The bathing apparatus according to  claim 1  in which the means for stabilizing the support structure comprise legs that extend part way down each side of the sidewall of the bathtub and clamp the sidewall of the bathtub. 
     
     
         3 . The method of bathing a person in a bathtub that comprises the steps of;
 a. providing a horizontally rotatable seat directly above a sidewall of a bathtub so that a person may sit down on said seat with their legs extending toward the floor;   b. seating a person on said seat so that the person is facing away from the bathtub with their legs extending downwardly from said seat;   c. raising the person's legs so that they are above the uppermost portion of the sidewall of the bathtub;   d. rotating the seat horizontally about a substantially vertical axis so that the feet are positioned above the inside of the bathtub;   e. lowering the person's feet so that they hang downwardly on the inside of the bathtub;   f. bathing the person while on said seat;   g. lifting the person's feet so that they are above the uppermost level of the sidewall of the bathtub;   h. rotating the seat so that the person's legs are above the floor of the bathroom outside of the tub;   i. lowering said feet so that they extend towards the floor of the bathroom.