Hi there, my mum is in her 80s and has arthritis and PD. She is keen to get a shower toilet to make personal hygiene easier. I know that these can be rather expensive. Does anyone have experience of having a shower toilet fitted? Also, if anyone knows, would this item qualify for VAT exemption? If so, what documentation would we have to complete? Any info would be gratefully received.
Thank you.
Hi VicsF,
We just wanted to welcome you to the forum, before our community weighs in with their experiences with toilet refitting, etc. Just so you’re aware, we have a free and confidential helpline that can assist with finding local resources, including tools like the ones you’re speaking of, as well as helping with VAT and the like. Please do reach out to them at your convenience, on 0808 800 0303.
With our warmest welcome,
Jason
Forum Moderator
Hello VicsF
My apologies for being a bit slow to reply to your post, I am just catching up a bit. I have not heard them called shower toilets but I am assuming you mean a toilet with a bidet facility that washes and dries you after using the w,c,
There are two types. One is a complete unit which replaces your wc and comes with various control options, the Gerberit is a well known brand but there are others on the market.
The other type is an electronic bath seat that fits on top of a standard and I w.c. and that’s what I have, Mine is several years old now and is a Bio Bidet at the time it was the only one on the market and was around a £1,000 but there are others on the market now and so they are probably not so expensive.
First thing to say is that I have never had any problems with it at all and mine is plumbed in so there is no maintenance to speak of, just the usual cleaning. When first installed it needs some adjustment to suit the individual but I did not find this hard and is a once only. I had mine put in when I was having my bathroom made into a wet room. I didn’t really need it then but it seemed sensible to do it all at once because it was likely that I would benefit from one at some point, but actually I used it more than I expected too right from the beginning. I got used to using it very quickly. Sorry to be graphic here but it is an honest account of my experience - occasionally I need to use a small amount of toilet paper too but this is much easier to use as the faeces have been softened or loosened by the water. In the early days it was hard to feel I was properly dried but again, this was really just a case of getting used to it.
Mine also has something called a turbo function which sounds fierce but is actually not, it’s just a slightly stronger jet of water designed to help manage constipation I have used this successfully on the odd occasion I have had difficulty moving my bowels. My model comes with a control that is on the wall next to the wc ao is very easy to manage.
If you opt for the toilet seat option check the overall height of the wc plus seat and that this is the correct height for the individual to see safely - they can add a few inches.
I am more than happy with mine which as I said, is now several years old. I attach a picture for your information and yes, it was VAT exempt