Customer Reviews

Drive Medical Bellavita Auto Bath Lifter, White

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this for my mom. With arthritis all over her body taking a bath is like climbing Mount Everest somedays. I assumed by now that contraptions like this had to exist but once I did my homework I didn't know where to buy it. Again, it hit me: "I bet Amazon has it" and sure enough there is was. It isn't that hard to set up although like all instruction manuals it wasn't detailed like I would have liked. It comes with 4 suction cups to anchor it in the tub. They will stick on a good, clean surface but you have to put a lot of pressure. It kept slipping until I decided to get in the tub and stand on each corner as best as I could. That worked. The top/back of the lift slips in horizontally into it's groves. Make sure the hand control is charged for 4 hours before this. Once the top is in place lift it up vertically and a little to the back. Plug in the hand control on the back and hit the yellow triangle. This starts the center poll/lifting thingy to start moving. The little T bar MUST slip in the area just behind the red clip. It will catch and when that does catch the seat will begin to lift. Although she has trouble lifting her legs over the edge of the tub once she's in she sits and making sure she's on it as balanced as possible I lower her in the tub using the blue triangle. If you have an old tub like she does take into consideration that you may lose 4 or more inches in length in the tub once inside it. The suction cups have to be as flat as possible to hold well. The curved/sloped area could make it difficult to hold. I get it back as far as I can and she's ok but not completely comfortable. If you are tall I hope you have a long tub. Still, it's been a life saver all around. I was fearing that she would have to go into a nursing home if I couldn't handle this on my own. Her mind is as sharp as ever and this lift kept her from vegetating in a home. I can't thank you enough.

This lift chair was going to be a hopeful tool for a hip patient and does the job but leaves more than a little concern. There is absolutely no customer support from Drive Medical. We sent a few emails to them about problems with the charger and the fact that the displayed unit on amazon with the blue cushion is inaccurate and that the unit comes with a white cushion. It does lift a 180 pound person but makes clunking noises and will likely last for a shorter time than expected. We also filled out a questionaire from amazon on this unit and heard nothing from that either. We buy a ton of stuff from amazon but in the future will buy nothing from amazon sold by others. If you want customer support this is not your lift chair.

This is a perfect product for those whose legs have become too weak to stand up after bathing is done. It works exactly as described (perfectly)and is easy to keep clean even when leaving in the tub between baths. The battery unit is easy to recharge and its enclosure is waterproof. I had previously considered buying a walkin tub ($10,000 - $17,000 installed) and am glad I bought this chair instead as it permits many seating heights whereas the walk-ins have a fixed height seat. All in all, a perfect solution for those with old and/or weak legs, hips, or backs. I would buy it again without hesitation.

Bought this lift for my mother-in-law who started having trouble getting up from the tub. She preferred baths to showers and it was getting difficult and potentially harmful for her husband to pull her up in a slick tub. Found this lift and bought it based on other reviews. I must say that this has really made a difference in ease and safety of both lowering and raising her in and out of the tub. As I said, it does exactly what it says it will do. The suction cups work well and, even though it is an older tub, seems to fit well. Raises to a good height. If you have someone that has trouble getting down or up out of the tub, this lift I can recommend highly. The controls are easy to use, clearly indicate which to push and seem durable. As usual with Amazon, the packaging was very good and the delivery was prompt.

I am very happy with this product. My mother has used it several times, and it works good. I have no idea how long the battery lasts. I ususlly plug in after every second use since it is no trouble to charge. I am inpressed with the way it is made and seems of sturdy construction. Would recomend it for anyone who is worried about getting in and out of a tub.

My dad turned 90 and was having a very hard time taking a bath. He never took showers in the past and he loves to soak in a tub. I didn't want him to give that up so this was the perfect solution. No special tools needed. The battery life is excellant and he is really happy that he can still soak in the tub. At first he was nervous, but there was nothing hard about it. It fit just fine in his very old original tub. (House built in 1969). We would definately recommend it for ease, price and function.

Both the instruction directions ("Operating Instructions" and the "Quick User Guide") are difficult to understand because the illustrations (which actually appear to be photographs!) don't correctly correspond to the product, and the Operating Instructions actually refer to a color button on the hand control that doesn't exist (orange).

Really! This product will be necessary to more and more elderly Americans. Amazon was wonderful to me in regard to HOW to access Bellvita so I could get their help, but it was a bit of a nightmare anyhow, because everything pivoted on whether my efforts would be successful, and we could not financially afford for me to fail, and despite both Amazon and Bellavita being prompt and courteous, it took me 2 days of Emails and phone calls to actually get it going, even though it was relatively simple once I got past the "instructions". The fact that I'd already burned the box that the product came in made the pressure I felt considerably worse.

DON'T BURN THE BOX!

And Bellavita, for god's sake, UPDATE and CORRECT YOUR INSTRUCTIONS! You aren't going to lose money on this product, the accelerating demand of which will soon grow exponentially.

This product is light considering what it does. However, most disabled people are men being helped by their correspondingly elderly and likely frail wives, many of whom have had little experience assembling mechanical devices.

THE BATHLIFT IS A GODSEND TO PARKINSON'S PATIENTS! The back tilts at an angle that provides comfort, and once a person knows how to get it going, it IS, as I have posited in the title, "WONDERFUL"!

I was really looking forward to this product. Unfortunately, it did not work in my fiberglass tub. The suction cups would not stick. We cleaned and even used alcohol to try to make it work. No luck. It may be the tectured bottom that caused the problem. My idea is that many homes have these kinds of tubs. It seems that Drive would make note of this in their description. I must commend Amazon on their help with the return of this merchandise. I could not have expected any better service. My biggest problem now is that I am ordering a walk-in tub. A "little" more expensive that this lift chair.

Unless you have a very long tub, this will not work well. We own a soaking tub and a conventional tract-home guest bathroom tub, and tried it in both. In both cases, because of the design, we lost 6" (six inches) in length, which forced our knees to be almost in our chests. The Bath Lifter is built very strong but would only work well if you're a short woman.

So glad we ordered this chair! It was very easy to figure out and get in the tub. Made bathtime for my daughter with cerebral palsy a much happier time then it has been in a long while. Getting her in and out was so easy. My back, especially, was thankful!
It seems to be well made and the covers have a nice cushy feel to them. She loved that the raising and lowering mechanism was so smooth. She startles at any little bump or jerk and there was absolutely no problems with that. The only problem we had was not being able to find the soap once it was dropped in the bathwater because it was underneath!