A toilet is helping dignity and hygiene for one of Britain’s most
famous little people.
Kenny Baker, the Lancashire-based actor most famous for bringing Star Wars’ R2D2 robot to life, has invested in a Clos-O-Mat automatic shower toilet, which he says has transformed performing basic functions into ‘a treat’! And he is waging a one-man campaign to have such WCs installed in as many public places as possible.
At 3ft 8ins tall, Kenny’s dwarfism meant it was physically impossible to easily cleanse himself after toileting.
On location in Japan, his hotel room had as standard an automatic shower toilet, which incorporates an integral washing and drying facility. “The Japanese love technology, and to them such toilets are normal. I thought ‘I’ve got to have one of those!’ It was a treat to go to the toilet: usually, I have to put the loo roll on the floor and sit on that to try and clean myself. It can be very messy,” he explains.
As a result, he has had a Clos-O-Mat installed in his home in Preston. The unit- no bigger than, and looking the same as, a standard WC- combines conventional toilet facilities with a bidet facility and drier, making it suitable for use by all regardless of age and ability. It can be used as a conventional WC with lavatory paper, yet, if required, manual cleansing can be avoided by using the douche and drying facility, triggered by elbow or arm pressure on the standard flush or by a pneumatic hand held switch. Integral water heater and thermostatic controls ensure personal comfort and safety during use, providing warm water progressing to cool for douching and a gentle, warm airflow for drying. To personalize the toilet for his own particular requirements, Kenny has specified optional grab rails and an upholstered soft seat.
Adds Kenny, “The Clos-O-Mat has been a fantastic buy, and so comfortable
I’ve been known to fall asleep sitting on it! We live in a world where
people of all abilities travel more widely and more frequently. This toilet
is much more hygienic and pleasant for everyone and can be used by everyone:
why are they not in airports and hotels everywhere?”
Manufactured in Manchester by Total Hygiene, Clos-O-Mat was the first automatic toilet in the market and is now the UK’s biggest-selling such unit, being installed in locations ranging from individual’s homes to hospitals, hotels, nursing homes, shopping centres, tourist attractions and even on narrowboats. The new Palma Vita is the first automatic shower toilet developed specifically for the disabled: previous units have all been adapted from models sold in the ‘luxury’ sector.
Total Hygiene provides a comprehensive sales, installation and after sales package, and offers a range of options to enable tailoring of each unit to individual requirements.