The Accessible Bathroom V – Toilet Grab Bars
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Loading ...Grab bars – Placement of these should be exactly where you want and need them. They are an added cost for each one but, having all you ever need can make using the toilet one less thing that is a struggle to perform. Take notice of how you use the toilet now in where the bars help and where they don’t. Are they too low or too high? Do you wish they could move out of the way? In my case, I wanted bars on either side of the toilet at 36″ and 30″ from the floor. I wanted two heights because I would use the higher for transfers to and the lower for transfers from the toilet. However, there wasn’t a wall close enough to mount bars and either side. I also wanted to be able to do a side transfer with a transfer board when I was no longer able to perform a stand and pivot. The solution was swing-down bars that mount on the wall behind the toilet. The bars come in different lengths so be sure to purchase them long enough. I found that the shorter ones didn’t meet my needs and ended up installing one that, when down, extended out equal to the front of the toilet bowl. Though there are couple of manufacturers of these, I used this brand for its esthetics. In the USA, they are normally stocked in white but are available in various colors by special order. To me, all of the other brands looked had a definite institutional look. If you’re like me, you don’t need any reminders that you have a disability!
The swing-down style has a couple of advantages in that grab bar is actually a loop. The result was that I got grab bars at two different heights as I wanted. It is important that the wall have some sort of reinforcement because the style of grab bar can allow much more twisting forces than those that run along the wall. I had scrap 2×6 inch lumber placed behind the drywall to mount the grab bars. In over a year of daily use and the occasional collision with my chair, they show no signs of weakness. In addition, there are accessories such as toilet paper holders that attach to the grab bars.
A note about esthetics. Hospitals and other public places purchase items based on lowest cost that meet requirements. Typically, for these places, esthetics only come into play when costs are trivial. Designing an accessible bath for the home must consider esthetics with more emphasis. My approach was to minimize the appearance of a bathroom being for a disabled person. The bathroom design philosophy was accessibility without being a patronizing reminder of needing it. Home should always be the escape from reality where one can live life without struggles and humiliation. Mental health is just as important as physical health.