Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Decorative Bathroom Grab Bars - Smart Alternative to Towel Bars for Seniors
I often suggest to many of my customers the replacement of a loose towel bar in the bathroom with a properly installed decorative grab bar. It is common for one to grasp whatever is available when they are weak, unstable or have actually lost their balance. Towel bars are frequently grabbed for support but can actually be an invitation to disaster. Replacing a screw mounted towel bar with a bathroom grab bar is a simple procedure and what I consider a very important bath safety modification for seniors and those at risk for falls. A wide range of decorative bathroom grab bars and grab bar installation products can be viewed on our website.
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3 comments:
Towel bars usually have 2.5" clearance between bar and wall. Grab bars I have seen in local stores have only 1.5" clearance. The specs on this website do not list this dimension. Is there an easy way to find out which might have at least 2" clearance?
At present we have not described such dimensions on our site but I think this information would be quite useful in terms of sorting. We will work on adding this capability to our site. If there is a particular finish that you are looking forward we can perhaps provide a list of towel bars that have this amount of clearance.
If its is grab bars that you are looking for - the amount of wall clearance is usually 1.5" in accordance with ADA guidelines. Wall clearance greater than 1.5" would increase the leverage considerably and may prove unsafe in terms of anchoring the grab bars. There is also a greater risk of trapping your arm in situations where the wall clearance is too great.
Thanks for the feedback. I was hoping for something that would work as a grab bar while in-laws are visiting on occasional weekends; but would be a towel bar the vast majority of the time. Their bathroom has grab bars only, which are very awkward to use as towel bars because of limited clearance. There is not sufficient room for a plush bath towel. Maybe theirs are less than 1.5" and 1.5" might be OK for a towel bar. Next time I'm there, I'll measure.
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