Walk-in tubs in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley

For decades, people have retired to the desert for the sunshine, the golf, the mountains and the slower pace. Many arrive as active retirees and stay into their eighties and nineties. That makes the Coachella Valley one of the places in California where bathroom safety comes up most often, and where homes and communities have the most specific rules.

Communities we help

• West valley: Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City
• Mid valley: Rancho Mirage, Thousand Palms, Palm Desert, Indian Wells
• East valley: La Quinta, Bermuda Dunes, Indio, Coachella
• Nearby: Banning, Beaumont and Yucca Valley

Homes in the desert

Mid-century modern houses

Palm Springs is famous for its mid-century modern architecture, with many single-story post-and-beam homes from the 1950s and 1960s. Single-story living is ideal for aging in place. These homes are usually on slabs, bathrooms can be compact, and some owners want to preserve original tile or design details. Talk with the installer about how the surround and trim will look, and keep the drain where it is to avoid cutting the slab.

Country-club and gated communities

Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells and La Quinta have many gated and country-club communities with strong homeowner associations. Expect requirements such as written approval, contractor insurance certificates, gate access arrangements, and work-hour or seasonal construction limits. Some communities restrict noisy work during the winter high season. Ask your association before scheduling.

Condos

Many seasonal and year-round residents live in condos. Shared plumbing and walls mean association approval and neighbor coordination matter.

Manufactured homes

The valley has many manufactured-home communities. Bathrooms are compact, floors must support a filled tub, and many park alterations are permitted by the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

Planning around the seasons

The valley's population rises in winter and falls in summer. That affects a bathroom project in a few ways:

• Association schedules. Some communities limit construction during high season. Others are easier to schedule then because staff are on site.
• Being present. Plan installation for a time when the person who will use the tub is home, so they can learn the routine with someone nearby.
• Leaving for the summer. If you close the house in summer, ask the manufacturer how to leave the tub: drained, clean and dry, with jets purged according to instructions.
• Coming back. Run water through the tub and jets before the first bath of the season.

Heat and safety

Summer temperatures in the valley regularly pass 110 degrees. Heat and warm water both widen blood vessels and can lower blood pressure, which can cause dizziness when standing up. A few habits help:

• Keep the bathroom cool, and bathe in the cooler part of the day if that is easier.
• Use a comfortable, not hot, water temperature. California's plumbing code caps the hot water from a tub filler at 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Drink water as the doctor recommends, especially in summer.
• After draining, sit for a minute, then stand slowly using the grab bar.

Hard water

Water in the Coachella Valley is commonly hard. Minerals can leave scale on faucets and inside jet lines and drain parts. Ask about the jet system's cleaning routine and follow the manufacturer's schedule. Your water agency's annual consumer confidence report gives the hardness for your area.

Local aging resources

The Riverside County Office on Aging serves the entire county, including the Coachella Valley, and has listed an office in Indio. It offers information and assistance, caregiver support, care management and other programs. Visit rcaging.org or call 1-800-510-2020. Many valley cities also have senior centers with exercise and balance classes.

Veterans

Coachella Valley veterans are part of the VA Loma Linda Healthcare System. Contact its prosthetics service about the HISA benefit before buying. VA lists walk-in and roll-in showers as eligible examples, and its exclusions include spa, hot tub and Jacuzzi-type tubs.

Permits

Each valley city, from Palm Springs to Coachella, has its own building department, and unincorporated communities such as Thousand Palms and Bermuda Dunes are handled by Riverside County. Your installer should confirm requirements for your address.