Grab Bar vs Shower Support Handle: Which Do You Need?

It doesn't make sense to buy bathroom safety equipment if problems aren't being solved. Safety equipment should solve the right problems, and determining which pieces of equipment should be purchased takes an understanding of bathroom related activities as well as the associated safety concerns.

Bathroom safety equipment should be tailored to parents' specific needs and problems, rather than simply because it's a popular or widely recommended option. Safety bathroom systems should be meticulously designed to the specific concerns or needs.

Senior adults may feel steady walking into the bathroom but it is harder to stand up or sit down on the toilet without support.

Bathroom accidents may start in a number of different ways, and bathroom safety equipment is designed to meet the specific needs of the parents in order to prevent accidents.

Every parent deserves to feel safe in their home, and the right bathroom aids allow parents to be confident when utilizing any bathroom aids. Most bathroom accessories will not provide confidence, while the right safety aids will provide a renewed sense of independence.

This article discusses the differences between grab bars and handheld shower supports. It also covers when each one works best, and how to choose the best bathroom safety aid based on your parent's mobility and not the layout of your bathroom.

What Problems Are Grab Bars Trying to Solve

Grab bars only solve one problem, and that is the problem that arises with the movement that involves sitting and standing, or when there is a point of instability. It provides a parent with something to hold onto while standing up from a toilet, stepping over a tub wall, or while they are trying to steady themselves on slippery tiles.

This is most important for parents who are unsteady on their feet, not for parents who are unsteady while seated. If your parent has experienced a near fall whilst standing at the toilet, or reaches for the towel rail or sink for support, then a fixed grab bar fills that gap.

A grab bar can help to prevent falls and makes it easier to sit, stand and move between these different positions, and comes in adjustable height options to suit different needs. Here also, placement is everything. While horizontal bars help with sitting and standing, vertical bars help when you need to rise from a seated position. For this reason, many bathrooms benefit from having both horizontal and vertical grab bars. The support of a bar like the AGEasy Toilet Grab Bar with Floor Support is beneficial because it gives another point of contact around the toilet to assist parents needing extra support with that particular sit-to-stand movement.

For compact bathrooms, a foldable bar, such as the AGEasy Fold Up Support Grab Bar, provides an alternative solution to a different problem. It collapses flat against the wall when it is not in use so that it doesn't take up more space in a small shower stall, or at a narrow entrance.

One detail is the family's grab bar only works if it is secured properly to the wall. Mounting it to drywall is a problem if you do not anchor it to a stud or reinforced anchors as the bar will give out under the weight of someone using it. It is wise to check the installation guide before using anything, and a professional installer should be consulted to avoid issues with mounting.

What A Handheld Shower Support Actually Solves

A hand held shower head means you no longer have to stand under an overhead shower head. Instead it could help parents who need to sit while showering due to hip or shoulder movement restrictions, or pain issues who have difficulty standing for a long time.

If your parent uses a shower chair or bath bench, handheld showers may be appropriate. Your parent will not have to stand and turn under an overhead fixture to shower, as they will be able to sit and have the shower head come to them. This option reduces the risk of slips from standing on a wet surface, reduces standing time, and overall fatigue.

Shower chairs such as the AGEasy Shower Chair for Seniors also have features such as strong seating, anti slip rubber feet, and side handles. In addition, these chairs allow your parent to remain seated for most of their bathing routine rather than having to stand. For families wanting to get everything set up at once, the Safe-Showering Essentials Combo Bundled Set provides a seat and slip protection all in one purchase.

Adapting The Aid To Your Parent's Current Level of Mobility

When evaluating bathroom aids to purchase, first consider your parent's routine and how they maneuver each component of the bathroom. Consider the following.

If your parent has issues at the sink and needs to use the wall or towel rack to guide them through the process, the concern here is the loss of balance. In this case, grab rails at the toilet and inside the shower may help.

If your parent appears to struggle with lowering herself to the seat, this may be the concern for someone standing and helping with the shower, and this can be remedied by providing an adjustable shower head and an appropriate seat.

If you're a parent whose knees, hips, or whatever the case may be, a shower can become truly problematic, and the great thing is you can have a shower chair for that and an adjustable shower head to avoid standing while you wash.

If you feel that the floor may become wet and slippery regardless of your parents activities, the AGEasy Anti-Slip Bathroom Mat could be a solution to adding some barefoot traction under wet tiles that may be present throughout your routine.

Many homes need more than one of these. A shower chair, handheld shower, mat for grip work, and grab bar for sit-to-stand movement (or rest) all work together rather than replacing one another.

What To Check Before You Buy Either One

Weight capacity (and the margin with your parents weight) is more important than families tend to consider. The AGEasy Toilet Grab Bar claims to support anywhere between 250 to 300 pounds if installed correctly, so make sure any bar you choose to go with is ample.

Material can make or break your choice in a wet room. While the lower tier metal components will begin to rust, weaken, and corrode at the points of mounting, you will find stainless steel that is rust-resistant will hold up well after years of water standing and shower steam.

As important as the product itself, installation is just as important. A grab bar mounted into the wrong part of the wall gives false confidence, since it looks secure but won't hold weight under real pressure. Confirm wall type, stud location, and anchor type before drilling.

Using Both Together For A Full Bathroom Routine

Parents take them to mean that safety aids are mutually exclusive choices. In reality, the safest setups use both. Grab bars assist with sitting and standing. Shower chairs and handheld showers handle the bathing. Anti-slip mats assist with all the steps in between.

For falls in the bathroom, and specifically because most falls happen in the bathroom, the Protec Fall Detection Smartwatch by AGEasy adds monitoring to a parent's higher fall risk. Waterproof wearables monitor vitals and detect falls if they occur, and the watch stays on through a shower.

When to See a Doctor

If your mother or father has fallen, has constant pain when bathing, or has continued problems with balance, then a physician or physiotherapist should be consulted prior to using any assistive device. Only a professional can determine which movement is contributing most to the risk.

The optimal configuration of a bathroom will most often come down to watching your parent move, recognizing what moments are unsafe, and selecting assistive devices that will mitigate those moments.