How long would you expect a piece of technology to last? In Mandy de la Mare’s case, it’s decades.
The “tech” in question is her Closomat shower (wash & dry) toilet. Looking like, and capable of being used as a conventional WC, the Closomat has integrated automatic douching and drying. The user does not have to wipe clean (or be wiped clean).
“I’ve had a Closomat for 42 years and am only on my second one!” she says. “I only replaced the first one when I moved in 2003 after 30 years, and thought then that I had better upgrade to a new one.”
Mandy’s replacement Closomat was installed in the main upstairs bathroom of her new home, in Kingswood, Bristol. Mandy, who is thalidomide, blind with no arms, has since had an extension with en-suite wetroom, into which she had an alternative shower toilet and a Closomat ApreShower body drier, and the Clos-O-Mat was moved downstairs into a cloakroom to save me going up and down stairs.
“With the best will in the world, the other shower toilet is more attractive in my opinion, and I didn’t want my bathroom to look clinical, which is why I chose it. I still prefer the Closomat, it gives a better clean. I’m glad that the Closomat is downstairs, as that’s the toilet I use most,” she observes.
“And it is easier for me to operate: I chose the optional touch sensitive switch, so I can operate the Closomat just by a little pressure on the pad with my foot. The rest of the family use the Closomat too, only they choose not to take advantage of the wash and dry features.”
Closomat is the brand leader in shower toilets. The Closomat Palma Vita is the only unit of its kind manufactured in Britain, is the biggest selling shower toilet in the UK, and the only one developed specifically for disabled people.
Closomats are the only brand of shower toilet that can be tailored with accessories such as the touch sensitive switch initially, or retrospectively, to suit individual user requirements. Thus, uniquely, it can be adapted to continue to deliver ultimate intimate hygiene, even as needs change over time.
The ApreShower in the wetroom, also available from Closomat, fits into a corner of the bathroom or shower, and gently but efficiently dries the user with warm air after bathing or showering. It eliminates the need to towel dry. “As I’ve got older, it was getting more difficult to dry myself after having a shower. I think the ApreShower is brilliant!” adds Mandy.
The ApreShower is just part of Closomat’s range of accessible bathroom fixtures to enable people to remain dignified in their intimate care, in their own home, for as long as possible.
The range further includes height adjustable washbasins, shower seats (fixed and height adjustable), wall-mounted or height adjustable shower toilets, support systems for all requirements from paediatric to bariatric, ceiling track hoists and height adjustable changing benches.
Full details of all the equipment can be found at www.clos-o-mat.com
