Bathroom Grab Bars for Elderly - Shower Bar for Bathroom Safety
No matter if you are young or old, having a safer bathroom where the slippery environment can cause you to fall makes practical sense. Elderly and young children are most susceptible to fall in bathrooms, and especially during the moment of entering or exiting bathtub. During that movement, elders are forced to briefly stand on one leg, lift the other one in the air over the wall of the tub, and dramatically change the center of gravity of their body. That can cause them to lose balance, slip, and fall to the hard ground, which often causes not just bruises, but also broken bones.
Grab bars are small but highly effective safety devices that enable users to easily maintain their balance while standing provide handhold while moving, or enabling people who fell, if they can to stand up. Grab bars are also highly useful for enabling caregivers to provide help for elderly or disabled persons who have trouble moving.
Researchers have concluded that lack of a firm place to grab stable object during entering and exiting bathtubs is the key factor that can dramatically reduce the occurrence of injury in the bathroom in both elderly and children (the second most common age group that get injured in the bathroom). While the presence of grab bars was viewed as unwelcoming in the past decades, modern society has today accepted them not only as a necessity that can greatly reduce the occurrence of injury but also as a new way to stylize your home. However, it is important to note that majority of the modern home are not built with preinstalled grab bars in their bathrooms. If you live in such home, take note of the places you could install them, and try to eliminate occurrence where getting in and out from bathtub is possible only if the user is forced to rely on holding unreliable moving objects such as shower doors or curtains.
Who Should Use Grab Bars
Grab bars are highly needed to be installed in bathrooms that are used by seniors who have mobility or balance issues. The presence of grab bars would help them greatly would elevate their confidence when using bathtub, shower and toilet seat, and would provide an additional level of safety and accessibility to the areas of the bathroom that were previously believed by them to be hard to use.
Grab bars should be installed in all high-risk areas, and places, where fall is possible, should be made safer using other techniques, such as lining the floor with non-slippery surface or surfaces that can cushion the energy caused by falls.
Many health experts are recommending that grab bars should be installed in bathrooms of all elderly persons, and not only those who have mobility or balance issues.
Who Should Not Use Grab Bars
Grab bars are general safety-enhancing devices, and therefore, there are no specific reasons why someone should not install them in their bathroom.
In addition to being useful handholds for all family members, they can become a part of your bathroom styling. Modern grab bars are today created in countless of visual styles, enabling everyone to pick a model and size that will compliment your general bathroom décor.
Installation and Accessibility
Most commonly, grab bars are installed next to showers, bathtubs, and toilets. They can most often be seen in a public toilet near handicapped toilet stalls, in assisted living factories, nursing homes, hospitals, public places that are optimized for use by handicapped, and private homes. They are also present in all forms of public transport (including trains, airplanes, busses and others) and construction industry.
The proper installation of grab bars should take into consideration the following:
Construction materials – Grab bars should be picked to fit the need of the users, most importantly, to be able to bear high loads and impacts that may occur in your bathroom. Some countries have laws that regulate the procedures how grab bars should be secured to the wall (mounted to masonry or secured via stubs). Grab bars should not be installed on weak walls that will not sustain the full weight of person’s fall. This includes drywall.
Picking the location – Many countries have firm rules how grab bars should be installed in public places, especially when they are intended to be used by handicapped, elderly, or people in wheelchairs. They should be installed in such way that they help bathroom users not only to have better balance when standing but also while getting in and out of toilet seat or wheelchair. In some cases, large vertical “floor to ceiling” grab bars can be installed. They are most common in bedrooms where elderly can use them to more safely get in and out of their bed. If the home is intended to be used by caregivers, grab bar location should also take their needs into consideration (giving them better support while helping elderly or disabled with reduced mobility or stability).
The angle of grab bars – Two most common types of grab bars are vertical and horizontal, but in some cases, angled models can also be highly useful. Vertical grab bars are most useful for providing stability while standing, while horizontal is best suited for assistance when sitting, rising, or gabbing it in case of fall or slip. Horizontal grab bars are considered to be the safest and are most commonly installed in public places and private homes. Angled installation is sometimes done because elderly feel that added angle helps them to get better up or sit while in the bathroom.
Style – When picking the grab bars for your home, you will be confronted with a wide variety of styles, sizes, finishes, and colors. Things you should keep note is whether or not you want grab bars to have high contrast visibility compared to the rest of the bathroom (which may help the elderly user to more easily to spot them and use them), and where you want to install them.
Type and Sizes of Grab Bars
Most grab bars are made either of plastic or metal (or their combination), with an incredible variety of styles, colors, and finishes that can fit the practical and stylistic needs of every home. Here are the most common types of grab bars:
Straight grab bar – The most common type, which comes in the form of a straight bar that needs to be fixed to the wall in either vertical, horizontal or angled fashion. These bars must be strong, secure, sturdy and are often the prime choice for installation inside the bathtub wall or the shower. They are also commonly installed at the entrances of homes where elderly need to exert themselves while handling their footwear.
Angled grab bar – Also known as vertical angle grab bars,135-degree grab bars, wedge grab bars or boomerang grab bars. They have two distinct sections – a horizontal one and then a second bar that extends upwards at an angle. They are very versatile, especially when placed next to toilet seats or inside bathtubs or showers.
Wall to floor grab bars – Very useful type of grab bars that can serve both users near sitting places and enable users who have fallen to more easily stand up. The top part of this grab bar is secured to the wall, while the bottom is secured directly to the floor. If it is installed in the shower, it is highly desirable to pick the bar surface type with slip-free texture finish or with grip pads. Be aware that installing wall to floor grab bars takes more floor space from your bathroom.
90-degree grab bars – Essentially two grab bars that are connected one to another (one is horizontal and one vertical), being supported by two anchor points. The presence of L-shaped grab bar makes this model very versatile and useful near showers, bathtubs and toilet seats for users who are standing, sitting or transitioning between these two positions.
Corner grab bars – Also known as “90-degree grab bars in for two walls”. Similar to a one-wall solution, but this time placed in a corner where L shape is distributed over two wall planes. They are most commonly installed in corners between two walls of bathrooms, inside showers or near toilet seats if they are situated near a corner.
Trapeze grab bar – If you cannot fix grab bar on the wall, you can always place it anywhere you like by making it float in the air, supported by chains that are fixed to the ceiling. This type of grab bar is less common and is usually installed near beds (for repositioning, rolling, transitioning and getting in and out of bed) or toilet seats.
Floor to ceiling pole – Also known as safety pole, standing pole, transfer pole or security pole . They are very useful for versatile use, where the user in one area of their home need to have both stability during standing and transitioning between standing and sitting positions. They are commonly found near beds or in bathrooms near bathtubs or shower stalls. They are installed by turning a jackscrew mechanism that extends their length until they establish enough pressure on floor and ceiling that they become firmly set in place. Reinforced bariatric models can sustain the weight of up to 450lbs.
Suction grab bar – Vast majority of grab bars need to be permanently wall mounted, but if you do not want to do so, you can achieve a similar effect with suction mounting points. Just be aware to periodically check their suction levels, and reapply them so that they can remain firmly in place in the time of need. They are also the only type of grab bars that are portable and can be easily transported and installed.
Clamp-on grab bars – Grab bars that are clamped to the side of bathtubs, providing excellent handhold points during movement inside the bathtub and during transitions in and out of it. They are secured to bathtubs using simple turning dials that periodically need to be retightened.
Flip up & flip down grab bars – Wall-mounted grab bars that have a hinge that allows them to be moved out of the way and much closer to the wall when they are not needed. This can free up space in your bathroom or other rooms in your home.
Swing out grab bars – These grab bars have a look of a miniature and slim door frame, that can be swing from the wall 90 degrees toward the center of the bathroom (in either horizontal or vertical movement). They are great for providing stability or transitioning in and out of the toilet seat.
Wave-style grab bar – Stylish grab bars that don’t have straight hand bar, but some curved line that may or may not have ergonomic properties for establishing better grip levels.
Grab bar accent ring – Grab bar in the form of a ring that is kept “hovering” few centimeters beside the wall by between two to four mounting points.
Colored & decorative grab bars – Wide variety of stylish grab bars that can enhance the look of your bathroom. Traditional bathroom grab bars come with medical grade stainless steel or nickel finish (chrome or brass are also popular).
Multi-purpose grab bars – Grab bars can be mounted on the wall to serve other purposes, thus making your bathroom more versatile, and stylized in such way that grabs bars are less visible. Here are some examples of multi-purpose grab bars:
- Grab bar shelf – Wall mounted shelf, which has built-in grab bars in either horizontal or vertical position. These shelves can be stylized in such way that many people will not even notice that they can also be used as grab bars. They are best located inside the shower, where they can be loaded up with soap and shampoo bottles. Outside of the shower, they can be larger.
- Soap dish grab bar – Soap holders can be augmented to have enough strength to become a stable handhold. They can have a form of a single surface or come with a separated handhold. They are best installed inside showers or bathtubs where they can be used as a handhold or placed a bit lower and used near toilets.
- Toilet paper holder grab bar – Toilet paper dispensers are always conveniently located near toilet seats, so it would be a shame if they are weak and cannot support your weight. Toilet paper holder grab bar has reinforced the structure, mounting and can have standalone grab bars protruding above the toilet paper dispenser.
- Towel rack grab bar – Towel racks are by their nature already grab-bar like, but to make them fully usable for this purpose, they need to be sturdier and able to hold significant weight.
- Showerhead grab bar – Shower slide bars already look like vertical grab bars, but the majority of them are too weak to support person’s weight. However, some are designed to be used as grab bars, with sturdy built quality and reinforced wall mounting.
Typical grab bars have sizes between 12” and 36”, with larger models being quite rare. The vast majority of them have straight bars, with L-shape coming in second place. Circular or curved grab bars are rare.
Cost of Grab Bars
Price of grab bars can differ depending on the type you wish to purchase. Traditional metal grab bars with a knurled surface usually cost around $25-30 for smallest 12” size and up to $40-45 for larger 36” size. Clamp-on bath grab bars can usually be found for between $45 and $85, for both plastic and coated metal material. Suction grab bars are usually cheaper and can be found for between $25-50 depending on the size.
Installation price also has to be taken into consideration. The usual installation price from medical suppliers is around $60-90 per hour, although some suppliers offer different pricing schemes (such as the high price for a 1st grab bar, and lower one for each additional grab bar that needs to be installed). The duration of installation can vary, with usually around 20 minutes for each grab bar.
