Therapy riding centre teams up with Ropox to improve accessibility in its limited space
Accessible bathroom and kitchen manufacturer Ropox helped a Scottish riding therapy centre complete the construction of a purpose-built changing facility as it struggled with having very limited space.
The new facility at Muirfield Riding Therapy Centre in East Lothian, a charity which offers free therapeutic riding for disabled people, is not an official ‘Changing Places’ unit due to its lack of space, so the team involved had to improvise with the space available as extending the building was not an option.
This, say the centre’s volunteers, involved knocking two individual toilets into one room to create a large accessible toilet and changing room, which would still have enough space for wheelchair users and be suitable for centre visitors with varying levels of mobility and independence.
As space within the new unit was at a premium, Morven McLelland, a qualified occupational therapist helping to oversee the project, undertook in-depth research to ensure the equipment they installed would be best suited to all involved.
Morven looked at various changing benches, hoists and basins and said that she found the swing wash basin offered by Ropox offered the flexibility they needed as it was extremely compact, well designed and manoeuvrable while also offering excellent value for money.
She said: “I was able to offer insights into the essential equipment we needed to make this space as accessible as possible including the swing wash basin which provides greater accessibility for those people using wheelchairs.
“As an OT it is great to see companies such as Ropox producing products which are thoughtfully designed to improve people’s independence and dignity for use in a centre such as ours yet would also blend in to a bathroom in a domestic home,” says Morven.
Due to the current pandemic, users have not yet been able to use the new facility, but staff and volunteers have been impressed, she says.
In addition to the Ropox Swing Wash Basin, the unit also features a ceiling track H hoist system which provides full coverage of the room and enables users to transfer to the height-adjustable bench and accessible toilet with dignity and ease.
According to Ropox, the ergonomic design of the height adjustable swing wash basin ensures it will fit in compact spaces. Its 180-degree swing also allows people with reduced mobility to position the wash basin in front of the toilet so they can wash their hands while seated as opposed to having to move across the room to reach a basin. There is plenty of room under the basin for a wheelchair, making it ideal for wheelchair users.
The Swing Wash Basin is available with or without manual height adjustment and depending on the model. The range of adjustment is 15 centimetres for models without a dock-in and 20 centimetres for models with the dock-in, this allows the user or their carer to set the height at the optimum level.
