# All You Need to Know About Grab Bars

Bathroom injuries are most common among older people. Major injuries can lead to fractures in hands, legs, hips, etc. Injuries in the head could even be fatal. To prevent such unwanted incidents, it is important to add safety features in the bathroom to save elders from accidents.

Grab bars are the most useful product to install in bathrooms. Grab bars are graspable bars used to hold while standing up and sitting down. Let us understand grab bars and rails in detail.

**Types of Grab Bars and Rails**

Bathroom [grab rails](https://www.essentialaids.com/mobility/grab-rails-grabrails.html) come in a variety of styles, sizes, and materials. The most popular types of garb bars are:

* **Wall Mounted:** These grab bars are mounted on walls with screws and anchors. This is the best choice of grab bars for permanent usage.
* **Suction:** These bars attach to walls via suction cups and are the best choice for temporary usage, like traveling to a place for a shorter duration or recovering from surgery. They are mainly used to assist with balance and are not intended to hold full body weight.

These bars must be installed on non-porous surfaces like tiles and glass and not on walls. They are mainly used to assist with balance and are intended to hold full body weight. Suctions need to be checked at regular intervals as it becomes less secure over time.

* **Folding:** These grab bars can flip up or fold down when not in use. Such bars are useful in congested areas like toilets or sinks.
* **Free Standing:** These bars are floor-to-ceiling tension bars usually installed beside the tub or shower for help with exiting and entering. The other kind of bars are toilet enclosures with stand-alone rails and a safety base to help users with sitting down and standing up.

**Checklist Before Buying Grab Bars**

There are thousands of grab bars available. It is a good idea to know a few things about the bars and whether it matches your requirements before you buy one.

* **Location:** There is no specific place to install grab bars. But it depends on where and when you need it. For example, mainly older people require assistance while using the shower and toilet. So, depending on the size of the bathroom, you can choose a grab that fits well and doesn’t block your way.
* **Style**: There are various styles of grab bars like straight, wavy, textured, etc. Straight grab rails can be installed horizontally, vertically, or diagonally as per the needs. Textured grab bars are anti-slippery giving more hold to the user.
* **Material, Length, and Weight:** Grab bars are usually made from metals like stainless steel and aluminium. Some are also made from high-density resins like polyethylene. The general length of garb bars varies from 12 inches to 32 inches or even longer. Based on the material and type of the bar, its capacity to hold weight can be determined.

**Benefits of Grab Bars**

There are many benefits of having garb rails installed in your home, hospital, hotels, etc. They provide support in achieving balance and in standing up and sitting down at certain places. Let’s have a look at how garb bars are going to benefit you.

* **Safe Bathroom Visits:** For elders with knee pains and low strength, it is difficult to sit and stand while using the toilet. Due to wet floors, there is a risk of losing balance while taking a shower. Grab bars will avoid accidents and help the ones with less stable feet to independently and safely visit the bathroom.
* **Increase in Mobility:** The use of grab rails is not restricted to bathrooms. It can be used both indoors and outdoors. Having such support in and around the house motivates elders to mobilize more. For extra support and assistance, seniors can also use other [mobility aids](https://www.essentialaids.com/mobility.html) like a walking stick, walking frame, walkers, rollators, wheelchairs, etc.
* **Reduction in Injuries:** The significant benefit of grab bars and rails is that it reduces falls and trips leading to injuries. It is important for elders to stay away from injuries as recovery is slow at this age.

**Conclusion**

Now that you know all about grab bars consider purchasing any such equipment or mobility aids from certified suppliers. Also, consider getting these bars installed by professionals because they won’t support you well if they are not installed correctly.

**Source:** https://sites.google.com/view/essential-aids-limited/blog/all-you-need-to-know-about-grab-bars