Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
agroark

Grab bar placement and type

agroark
17 days ago
last modified: 17 days ago

We are remodeling my mother's bathroom so she can age in place. I'm trying to think through grab bars for her shower. It is approximately 3'x5' with a fold up chair. Bathroom is gutted but this picture is similar to the plan (other than that the built in bench will be a fold up chair in her new bathroom. Also, her shower door will be a sliding door).


I know to put in a vertical bar as you step in. Trying to decide if a horizontal bar or diagonal bar or even an angled bar would be best on that long wall.


Thoughts?

Comments (10)

  • Elizabeth Ann
    17 days ago

    I installed the same type of grab bars in my rental bathroom, with the landlord’s kind permission, to accommodate my recovery from knee-replacement surgery. I like your ideas. My bar inside the stall is horizontal, though an angled one might’ve worked better for me. That’s because the motion of getting up and down might be best served by varying heights along the way. You might consult with your “client”. I ordered bars on Amazon and am happy with them. Make sure the ones you source have a diameter that is ADA-compliant. As for length, measure twice and buy once. At least one of my bars could’ve benefited from being a little longer. Best of luck with your project. Please let us know how it comes out.

    agroark thanked Elizabeth Ann
  • Missy Bee
    17 days ago

    We put in some grab bars with our recent remodel. Our goal was to provide something you could grab if you felt dizzy or unsteady and to steady yourself with your eyes closed when rinsing hair or face. So our bars were put where they were right at hand. We also hoped that it could be available if we needed a little help sometime in the future to pull ourselves to standing position after being seat on the fold down bench. Our configuration did not allow the vertical bar to be used when entering or exiting. Those can be quite useful no matter what the age or physical ability….note the little holder for the handheld shower and the controls near the seat. You can’t plan for every possibility so you have to envision how you will meet every challenge and for some it may mean moving…..

    agroark thanked Missy Bee
  • loves2read
    16 days ago

    Beautiful shower!!

  • Helen
    15 days ago

    I remodeled my shower with the idea of aging in place and of course anyone can fall in a shower.


    I have a vertical grab bar by the door which is great to use when getting in and out of the shower which is a time when anyone can be a bit off balance


    I have a horizontal grab bar which runs along the back of the shower and is accessible when I sit on my bench as well as being in a good position to grab if I were to start to fall.

    agroark thanked Helen
  • millworkman
    15 days ago

    Be careful with sliding doors and "aging in place walk-in showers" as the doors typically barely open wide enough for a person to step thru let alone a walker or someone assisting someone.

    agroark thanked millworkman
  • Missy Bee
    15 days ago

    Again, there is aging in place and then there is AGING IN PLACE. You can create a shower that makes it less likely you will fall and hurt yourself by having grab bars and a seat. Or you may wish to do more. But you may not be able to create a shower that allows a walker or a personal assistent. You may not be able to get a wheel chair. In there either. You decide what level of frailty you can and want to prepare for. It the disability is temporary and your shower is not satisfactory, maybe you do a sponge bath until you recover. Or if disability is permanent it may be time to move. There will typically come a time, sooner or later, that a person’s ability to age in place comes to an end…..

    agroark thanked Missy Bee
  • marylut
    14 days ago

    Some ideas for aging in place shower…the water on/off control should be on wall reachable from outside the shower without having to lean over the toilet or be inside the shower, curb is tripping hazard so make it a contrasting color tile to the bathroom floor and shower pan, don’t spend money on wall mount shower head and instead get hand held shower head on slider bar with hose long enough to reach the chair (Delta makes slider bar that doubles as vertical grab bar), use product niches instead of shelves that stick out and place niches low enough to be reached while sitting (so not on wall behind the seat), put horizontal grab bar within reach of chair to assist with standing up and sitting down. The wave grab bar is pretty instead of institutional-looking.

    agroark thanked marylut
  • agroark
    Original Author
    14 days ago

    i see a lot of diagonal grab bars. Is there a reason to ever use diagonal instead of horizontal?

  • marylut
    14 days ago

    In a private residence the owner can put grab bars where you think best and whatever height is personally comfortable. For me, the diagonal made sense if I need to lower myself hand-over-hand to bench and then pull myself up hand-over-hand from bench. It all depends on upper body strength and personal preference.

    agroark thanked marylut