Where To Install Grab Bars For Shower Safety
If you recently experienced an injury, have a chronic condition, or care for someone who does, you have likely heard about how useful grab bars can be. They increase convenience and significantly improve independence and safety when completing important daily tasks like showering.
So you may have purchased a grab bar—now what? How do you use it? Better yet, how should you install it?
This article will describe important considerations to keep in mind when installing grab bars for safer showers.
Looking for more information about bathroom safety, adaptive equipment, and caregiving? Check if you have free access to Trualta.
Grab Bar Placement In The Shower
ADA guidelines suggest that grab bars are placed on 3 shower walls when a shower chair is unavailable. This can provide the most safety for you at home, especially when looking for an alternative equipment option to a shower seat if you can’t use or access one.
When determining the best location for your shower grab bar, consider where in the shower the person you’re caring for:
- Gets in and out of the shower or tub
- Stands or sits during the shower
Install the grab bar right where they enter the shower, so they can use it for stability when getting in and out. This is especially important when there is a step or barrier to get over, like the side of a tub or the shower threshold.
Installing an additional grab bar beside where they stand or sit while showering can ensure they have something to hold onto throughout the shower. Whether lathering with soap or rinsing off, they’ll have a sturdy grab bar to hold onto if they’re beginning to lose balance or experience a slip.
Place grab bars at a comfortable height. A general guideline would be to position it around waist height.
If you use a shower seat, you may have different considerations. Place the grab bar slightly lower on the wall, around your waist height while seated. This will provide you with assistance and stability when getting up and sitting down.
Always drill the grab bar into a stud in the wall. This will allow it to sustain much more force and weight.
Deciding The Position Of The Grab Bar
Horizontal bar? Vertical? Angled grab bar? Determining which position to install your grab bars can be confusing.
Placing the bar vertically at the entry of the shower makes it much more useful than placing it horizontally.
A horizontal or vertical bar can also be placed on the shower wall in front of where your loved one stands or sits while showering. Consider whether the vertical bar on this wall provides more height versatility or if the horizontal bar provides a more comfortable grip.
A horizontal or angled bar would be most suitable for the shower wall beside where your loved one stands or sits while showering. These grab bar positions will provide them with better grip and assistance when sitting up and down from a shower chair.
Grab Bar Mistakes To Avoid
Below are a few common mistakes people make when purchasing and installing grab bars.
- Don’t use a towel bar as a grab bar. These aren’t designed to sustain a person’s weight or force. Towel bars are also not typically required to be installed into a wall stud, making them even easier to pull out of drywall when used.
- Avoid grab bars with suction cup installation. These typically cannot sustain force or weight. Because they fall so easily when used, they pose a significant risk for injury. Grab bars should always be properly drilled into a wall stud for the most secure installation.
- Avoid placing shower controls, faucets, or other features directly below or above grab bars. This can impede proper access and grip of the bar when needed most. ADA guidelines state that no projecting objects, like a faucet or soap dispenser, be placed less than 12 inches above the grab bar or 1 ½ inches below.
Hire A Professional
It’s important to note that the best way to install a grab bar is to hire a professional who knows how to place and secure it safely. This is the best way to avoid accidents like the bar coming loose or being unmounted from the wall during use, which can cause a fall and significant injury.
Installing grab bars in a shower comes with additional challenges, as shower walls very commonly have tiles that must be drilled through. Having a professional do this for you can be the easiest and most effective way to ensure it’s done correctly and safely.
Silicone caulking should also seal wherever the grab bar meets the wall, as this can prevent water from seeping through.
Health professionals, like occupational therapists, can also complete a home safety assessment and provide specific guidance on where a grab bar should be placed to best suit your loved one’s needs and shower space.
Other Bathroom Safety Equipment
Grab bars are one of the many options for equipment and tools that can be used to improve safety in the bathroom. Some other equipment options include:
- Shower chairs
- Tub transfer benches
- Handheld shower heads
- Raised toilet seats
- Shower or toilet seat commodes
Looking for more information about bathroom safety, adaptive equipment, and caregiving? Check if you have free access to Trualta.
References
- https://www.access-board.gov/ada/guides/chapter-6-bathing-rooms/#grab-bars
- How to Install Grab Bars – The Home Depot
- How to Decide Grab Bar Placement | Bathroom, Shower, & Toilet
- HealthCraft Products – Grab Bars in the Shower: Placement and Selection
- 7 Ways OTs can Assess and Improve Older Adult Bathroom Safety
