Bathroom Safety Grab Bars Installation Guide

Do you “see” your bathroom objectively?  Are you a senior – or do senior members of the family reside in your home? It is a well-known fact among Health Care agencies that falls aren’t only the second main cause of death, with regards to accidents – but that the majority of these occur in the bathroom.

What steps are you able to take to improve the safety of your bathroom?

Common Bathroom Hazards

Several!  But before we ever arrive at installing anything, first let’s look at the most frequent hazards reported by emergency personnel:

*Rugs that slip or rumple easily

*Projecting objects individuals trip over

*Inadequate lighting

*Unstable toilet seats

*Normal toilet seats (too low for people with poor mobility)

*Stiff taps

*Water on the floor

*Bathtub entry and exit

There is yet another hidden danger a lot of people can not see:  The actual fear of a fall that seniors and those with limited mobility live with daily. This fear can limit confidence, create stress and insomnia, increase ill health, and diminish enjoyment of life.

But it is human nature to dismiss or simply plain not think the needs of individuals with limited functioning experience, when we’re young. If we’re well-brought-up or particularly kind-hearted, we may soothe ourselves with “token” concern.  A lot of people take it for granted that seniors “just have to be a bit more careful” – or don’t genuinely have any cause for fear.  But like it or not, this is going to be us, in 10, 20, 30 years from now.

Increasing Bathroom Safety

Installing one of those tubs you see on Television – the ones that open so seniors can simply step inside – is not possible for many people.  It’s beyond their budget range. But you can still make the bathroom a much safer place –  even minus the special tub.

A few are absurdly basic fixes – and yet can mean the difference between real injury or death, and safety. Some will cost a bit more on home improvement.

1.Sew rubber mason jar rings or stick double-sided tape onto loose rugs, to stop them from slipping – or better yet, take them out altogether.  Rugs remain the main bathroom hazard for the elderly, or individuals with limited vision. (And use rubber “non-slip” stick-on inserts inside the bathtub or shower.)

2.Mount an extendible magnifying mirror, to aid those with impaired vision in personal grooming.

3.Use wall-mounted soap dispensers instead of loose bottles. The latter can be slippery or cause an accident as someone reaches over attempting to catch one they’ve knocked off the vanity or bathtub rim. (And be sure to mount them where the individual with physical challenges can truly reach them!)

4.Replace your fixed shower heads with hand-held ones.  Those with poor mobility do much better when they can control the shower head themselves. They do not have to worry about not being able to react speedily sufficient, if the water rushes out, scalding hot.

5.Install an increased-height toilet. The standard toilet is between 14” and 15”.  Increased height toilets are a full 16.5”. This additional 1 ½” – 2 ½” can mean more than you’ll ever understand to a senior – or anyone else who may have mobility, balance or back difficulties

6.Change your faucet – Install one with simple lever handles that can be easily turned on and off without having requiring physical strength.  Lever handles are also considered to be much less confusing for anyone having a cognitive disorder.  (Install one with a hot limit quit, too – this stops accidental burns from scalding.)

7.Put in a “barrier-free” shower.  If you’re planning to change the shower anyway, this is one choice you might like to take.  What does “barrier-free” mean?  The floor in the shower has a threshold that’s less than ½” from the finished floor.  This permits people with walkers, or those who can’t climb steps, to enter easily.  (But if you’re thinking of a truly wheelchair accessible shower, be aware that this is normally much larger compared to the average shower. This one will almost certainly mean a significant bathroom re-design.)

8.Install a taller sink – one that a chair or wheelchair can fit underneath. Standard pedestal sinks are 24”-30” high. Install a vanity or pedestal sink that’s 31”-36”.

9.Clamp-On Grab Bars.  If your budget is extremely limited, this can be a life-saving alternative.  These tall handles mount quickly, with out installation of any hardware, on the rim of the average bathtub, which means that individuals with limited mobility can grab onto them without bending, and use them as a support while climbing in and out from the tub. (For those who have a built-in shower unit, you are able to replace the entire insert entirely with a new unit -containing a ready made grab bar.)

10.Bath Chairs and Transfer Seats – these too can free-stand within the shower, to be removed when other members of the family are bathing.

The beautiful thing about Bath Chairs or Bath Stools, and Clamp-On Grab Bars – you can usually obtain them very inexpensively at Assisted Living stores (typically under “Medical Supplies” inside the Yellow Pages.)

Also, if there is a volunteer-run “Loan Cupboard” in your town, devices are frequently discovered there – in wonderful condition. (Some donated by those people who are lucky enough to only need assistive devices temporarily.)

Remember – even one of these simple precautions could easily save a life.

These are interesting points we wrote in our article, but it isn’t the only place to find this information.  We have found other sites like this one about bathroom safety that you may find useful too.  If liked the article please share it with your friends on Facebook.