Shower-Residential

Why is this grab bar placement important?

• An entry grab bar is the most important shower grab bar because most falls occur at the point when the person is making the transfer from two different heights, usually while wet.
• This grab bar is critical to steady the transition between the bathroom floor and the shower floor, where there is usually a small lip or ledge to step over.
• An entry grab bar will help overcome the fear one has when putting their entire body weight on one leg while stepping onto a new surface that may be wet or slippery.
• The entry grab bar can also be used for pulling oneself safely out of a sitting position while in the shower (such as when sitting in a shower chair or on a shower bench).
• An entry grab bar will be much sturdier than dangerously hanging onto bathroom fixtures, glass doors, or towel bars, which have limited weight capacities and virtually no grip.

Which bar shape, length, and quantity do I need?

• We recommend one (1) straight grab bar.
• The most common length would be 18″ or 24″. We do not recommend going below 18″ as it would limit vertical coverage.
• We recommend a standard smooth grab bar surface. If you desire additional grip, you can choose a peened safety grip, which may prevent vertical hand slippage.
• You may consider an even longer length up to 48″ if the client is in a shower chair and requires more assistance at the lower position to help pull oneself up to a standing or seated position (the longer length enables the grab bar to go lower to the shower floor when installed).

Where should I place and install the entry grab bar?

• Place the grab bar vertically about 4-6″ inward from the entrance or shower door jamb. This could be on either end of the wall depending on how the door is hung. The shower entrance is commonly on the same side as the shower handles / spout. If this is a tub shower combination, we recommend placing this on the wall nearest the tub entry point.
• We do not recommend placing the grab bar too far from the showers outer edge – try to keep it as close to the shower entrance as possible.
• If there is a shower door, be sure to place the grab bar inward enough (away from the entrance) so that the hand does not repeatedly bump the shower door or exterior frame and cause bruising.
• Vertical height placement of the entry grab bar is up to the discretion of the user, and often comes down to height of the user and where the hand reaches comfortably when entering or exiting the shower. If there is a shower seat or chair, keep this in consideration as the hand should be in reach of the bottom of the vertical grab bar.

Any other recommendations?

• If the shower has entry on both sides of the entrance, such as a sliding glass door shower, a shower with no doors, or a shower with a shower curtain, we would then recommend installing an entry grab bar on both sides of the shower entrance in case entrance habits change.
• If a shower has a built in side or back wall mounted shower seat, we would also recommend installing an entry grab bar on both sides of the shower entrance.