Tub safety bar

[agate]

Yet another assistive gadget in my life. This tub safety bar looks as if it will be very helpful. I've used it once already. It's very easy to install and seems secure enough to hold. That isn't a photo of me but the safety bar is exactly like the one I have.

[stillstANNding]

My mom has one that is like that but wider. It attached the same way and works well for her.

ANN

[Lazarus]

Good new addition. I Have grab bars in the shower and on the wall beside the toilet.
I created a huge shower that has no lip. I could wheel directly into it and I put in a handheld shower head so I can switch back and forth between the normal one and the handheld one.

Grab bars make life better y far...

[Virginia]

I only take showers and my tub is just sitting there. It is a large garden tub and I can no longer get up on my feet to get out. Would this help me to pull up?

[Howie]

Agate, would you have a price on a bar like that? I could use one, getting out of the tub scares me.

[agate]

Virginia, I'm not sure what a garden tub is--Google is showing me lots of different shapes when I asked it about garden tubs. It does have a caution about not overtightening it on fiberglass or thin steel tubs because the clamp might crack the tub.

It can't be installed if a shower door track is in the way. And it's supposed to fit tub edges between 2.75" and 6.25" thick.

Howie, this one is available on Amazon.com for $28.94.

There are other types of bathtub safety rails available too. (No, this isn't a plug for Amazon but it does look that way.)

[Howie]

Thank you Agate. I like Amazon. I have several things in the house I got from them. I'll see the choices of the bars like that.

[Howie]

I just went, and this is the problem with Amazon, they have too many choices. But it's a good problem if there is such a thing. What do I get? It's hard to narrow it down. I'll look again tomorrow when I'm rested.

[funnylegs4]

I HAVE THE EXACT SAME SAFETY BAR AS IN THE PIC! I LOVE this thing! I got mine as a gift from someone who bought it off home shopping i.e either QVC or HSN. I forget which. I can put my entire weight on the bar and have no problem.

[Pegakafarmgirl]

we invested in a walk in bath tub, with jets,, best investment we ever did, totally saves me from falling

[agate]

funnylegs, so far I like mine though I'm probably going to have to check with the building manager. This may be a fiberglass tub and might crack.

It's supposed to support a person up to 250 lbs.

[Catdancer]

Bathrooms are the most hazardous rooms in the house. Lots of slippery surfaces, lots of hard surfaces to fall into, hit your head, break a bone. If you have any extra money at all, spend it to modify your bathroom! Those bars are helpful. If you have a tub and shower combination, another alternative is a bath chair with adjustable legs- two on one side that fit into the tub, the northern side longer, the height adjusted so it goes over the top of the tub, the legs on the floor. You have to adjust the shower curtain so it mainly is in the tub to channel the water, and have a hand held shower head.

Depending on the size of your tub, there are benches that fit entire in the tub. You'd still need a grab bar like this to get in and out, but you wouldn't need to get up from a sitting position in the tub.

Another useful thing is a raised toilet seat. There are a few different options of these, but basically it's a plastic or rubber basin, open, that fits over the toilet bowl, several inches deep. If you have trouble getting up off the toilet, it's a big help. If you ever replace the toilet altogether, there are raised toilets available that don't cost any more than standard ones, and can be used by anyone. Grab bars around the toilet are helpful, too, as getting up and down can be tricky if your balance is bad.

I had a roll in shower installed years ago, and just recently had it repaired and upgraded with a better drain. It's tiny, but open enough that I can get assistance in there if needed. I have lots of rails around it.too, to hold onto should I need to. I transfer from my wheelchair to a shower bench, pull the curtain around me, shower, then transfer into my wheelchair.

[Parsi]

I have a walk-in shower [in Wis] with sliding doors and (4"?) lip. There are 2 grab bars just inside the shower: one at either door. I've been thinking of changing the towel rack I have (which falls apart if grabbed) to a long bar between shower and sink. It would serve both as towel bar and something to grab on the outside.

[Cat Dancer]

Don't use a towel bar as a grab bar! They are not made for that purpose, and could tear out part of your wall, creating even more of a problem should you grab it while you're falling, or trying to use it to pull yourself up! If they don't pull out of your wall (taking plaster or tile with them), they could bend, and be useless that way, too!

There are tools called "stud finders" you can buy at a hardware store. You can buy one for around $5...up to $30, depending on their sophistication...that you need to use to find the studs -- the upright beams used in walls. There is a magnet in them which will locate the nails used in the construction of the wall. The beams are usually set about 16 inches apart, measuring from the center of the board to the center of the next board. After you've found a couple, you can then measure to find the rest. Screw the grab bar (thicker than a towel rack, built to hold your weight, built to be pulled on) into the studs. They usually come with 5 screws. The grab bars are usually set at about 36 inches high, but you can set them at whatever height you want...usually somewhere around the height of your clenched hand, when standing. (As if your hand was holding on to the bar). The grab bars come in various lengths, from 2 feet (24 inches) on up. Most of mine are 36 inches...but it depends on where you're putting it, and how much wall space you have.

Be safe out there! You don't want wall board, or plaster, or bathroom tiles falling on your head while you lie on the floor with a bent rod in your hand!

[Lazarus]

Don't use a towel bar as a grab bar! They are not made for that purpose, and could tear out part of your wall, creating even more of a problem should you grab it while you're falling, or trying to use it to pull yourself up! If they don't pull out of your wall (taking plaster or tile with them), they could bend, and be useless that way, too!

There are tools called "stud finders" you can buy at a hardware store. You can buy one for around $5...up to $30, depending on their sophistication...that you need to use to find the studs -- the upright beams used in walls. There is a magnet in them which will locate the nails used in the construction of the wall. The beams are usually set about 16 inches apart, measuring from the center of the board to the center of the next board. After you've found a couple, you can then measure to find the rest. Screw the grab bar (thicker than a towel rack, built to hold your weight, built to be pulled on) into the studs. They usually come with 5 screws. The grab bars are usually set at about 36 inches high, but you can set them at whatever height you want...usually somewhere around the height of your clenched hand, when standing. (As if your hand was holding on to the bar). The grab bars come in various lengths, from 2 feet (24 inches) on up. Most of mine are 36 inches...but it depends on where you're putting it, and how much wall space you have.

Be safe out there! You don't want wall board, or plaster, or bathroom tiles falling on your head while you lie on the floor with a bent rod in your hand!

Stud finders...sounds like it might be useful. And you can get this on Amazon? Well, I'll have to take a look. Do they have stud pictures? I would like to see the stud picture before I decide on which stud to bring home! I'm sure John won't mind.