The right nursing home bathing system depends on one question more than any other: can the resident bear weight? Side-entry and end-entry tubs both work in skilled nursing, but they work for different residents. Pick by the transfer your residents need, not by the license on the building. Apollo builds both kinds, so this guide gives you the straight comparison.
The short answer
A side-entry tub fits residents who can stand, pivot, or slide sideways from a wheelchair with a hand from staff. An end-entry tub with a seated transfer chair fits residents who can sit up on their own but cannot bear weight. Residents who cannot sit up unaided need a mechanical lift with a bathing sling, or a bathing trolley.
Most skilled nursing buildings have all three groups. That is why the best nursing home bathing system for a facility is often two different systems in two bath rooms, matched wing by wing.
Match the nursing home bathing system to the transfer
OSHA’s Guidelines for Nursing Homes sort bathing equipment by what the resident can do, and that is the right way to sort it. The table below follows the same logic.
| What the resident can do | Transfer that fits | Tub that fits |
|---|---|---|
| Walks in, or stands and pivots with a hand | Step through a low threshold and sit | Side-entry walk-in |
| Sits up unaided, can slide sideways from a wheelchair | Seat-to-seat slide through a wide door | Side-entry walk-in with an outswing door |
| Sits up unaided, cannot bear weight | Stays seated in a transfer chair from room to tub | End-entry tub with a seated transfer system |
| Cannot sit up unaided | Ceiling or floor lift with a bathing sling, or a bathing trolley | Lift-compatible tub, or a trolley in a shower room |
When a side-entry tub is the right choice
A side-entry tub opens along its length. The resident enters at the seat, sits, and the door seals. For an ambulatory resident, this is the most natural bath there is. It feels like a bath at home, and the resident keeps doing most of it on their own.
Side-entry tubs also suit residents who arrive in a wheelchair and can slide across with some help. A wide outswing door puts the seat at chair height. Some models sit high enough for a floor lift to roll underneath, which covers residents on a bad day.
Where side-entry struggles is the resident who cannot help with the transfer at all. Then staff need a sling lift to get the resident over the door sill and onto the seat, and every bath becomes a two-step lift.
When an end-entry tub is the right choice
An end-entry tub opens at the foot. The resident does not walk in. They ride in, seated, in a transfer chair that travels from the room to the tub.
This design exists for one resident: the one who can sit up but cannot stand. With a seated transfer system, staff secure the resident in a chair at the bedside, roll the chair to the bath room, and glide it into the tub. Nobody lifts. Nobody pivots. The resident stays seated the whole way, and one caregiver can run the bath.
The trade-off is the room. An end-entry system needs space for the chair to approach and turn. The Apollo Advantage™ needs a room at least 72 by 114 inches, or 72 by 102 inches for the Space Saver model.
The question most guides skip: who lifts?
Comparisons of side-entry and end-entry tubs often score the tub and ignore the transfer. In a nursing home, the transfer is where staff get hurt and where residents get scared. A good bath can still fail if getting into it is frightening.
So count the lifts. Walk one resident from bed to bath and back. How many times does a person bear weight? How many staff does it take? How many pieces of equipment touch the resident? The system with the fewest lifts for your residents is the right one, whichever end the door is on.
How Apollo matches residents to systems
Apollo has built bathing systems for senior care since 1978, and we build both designs.
- ReGen™ Walk-In Spa is a side-entry tub for ambulatory residents. It has an extra-wide door and adjustable feet that let a floor lift roll underneath.
- Advantage™ Bathing System is an end-entry tub for assisted bathing. The Level Glide™ transfer system keeps the resident seated from room to tub, with a 400 lb chair capacity. Facilities that rely on an existing ceiling or floor lift can order a lock-in chair instead.
A campus with a skilled wing and an assisted living wing often runs one of each. The resident mix decides, not the building. Our bathing system selection guide walks through the next decisions, from fill time to whirlpool versus air spa.
Questions to answer before you buy
Four questions settle the right nursing home bathing system faster than any spec sheet.
- How many residents on this unit cannot bear weight today? How many will in three years?
- Do you already have ceiling lifts in the bath room, and do staff use them?
- How much floor space does the bath room have, and where are the drain and water supply?
- How many baths does the room need to run on a short-staffed shift?
See the system before you decide. Ask about a live demo, watch it run on video, or call and talk it through with people who have been in a lot of bath rooms. Contact Apollo Bath here.
Quick answers
What is the best bathing system for a nursing home?
The one that matches how your residents transfer. Residents who can stand or slide do well in a side-entry walk-in tub. Residents who can sit up but cannot bear weight do best in an end-entry tub with a seated transfer chair. Residents who cannot sit up need a lift with a bathing sling or a bathing trolley.
Is a side-entry or end-entry tub better for skilled nursing?
Neither wins for every resident. Side-entry suits ambulatory and seated-slide transfers. End-entry with a seated transfer system suits non-weight-bearing residents who can sit up, because it removes the lift. Many skilled nursing facilities need both.
Does an end-entry tub require a lift?
Not when it has a seated transfer system. The resident rides into the tub in the chair. End-entry tubs without a transfer chair do need a lift, so confirm what is included before you order.