Awash in Potential

How do you wash your feet?

It's a question Sunil Achia, a product designer at HealthCraft Products, often uses to break the ice in social or business situations. Usually the answer he hears is something like "by raising one foot at a time in the shower." The response points to the importance of bath safety products, especially for older or physically challenged people, Achia contends. "You're standing on one foot, balanced in a slippery tub with water in it. It's one of the most dangerous things you could be doing, even for an able-bodied person," he says.

There continues to be an increasing stream of products aimed at making the bathroom a safer place. It's a market whose growth is driven by shifting demographics: Some 40 percent of the U.S. population will be over 55 by 2015. Also propelling the market are a trend toward aging in place and demand by active seniors for injury-related products. Many in the older demographic will also need bath safety products while they recover from hip or knee replacement.

However, the economy is making consumers more careful with money. "They are looking for good value," says Brad Crozier, senior product/brand manager of Home Care by Moen. "Caregivers are making the purchase and they want to buy a good quality product, something with a middle-of-the-road price point and with the features they need."

For HME providers, bath safety products can be a rich source of cash sales during a time of shrinking reimbursements and government red tape.

Shifting Product Trends

Joseph Panico of Janesville, Wis., is familiar with bath safety products both from the perspective of his building renovation business and as a provider focusing on adaptive living. He began his renovation business in 1990 and almost immediately gravitated toward accessibility-related projects. The interest evolved into his current enterprise, Blackhawk Homecare, which sells a range of bath safety products online.

"I am always on the prowl for new products, new ideas, new innovations," Panico says. "People want functionality in a product, but they also want design."

Panico sees more products on the market to meet the demand. For example, he says, "more and more people need to have a jetted tub for therapy applications." He has also noticed increasing demand for automation such as ceiling track lifts.