Grab Bars

[chefwong]

OT: but for those that have purchase grab bars, what sites/places have you purchased them.
Just looking for feedback as there is quite a but of places that sell them - whether it be online or local.

FWIW, I'll be using Wingits...so a compatible system would be great.

[geniescience]

Grab bars can be slider bars for handshowers, if they are made for this. Moen and Jaclo have this. That is what I have learned from web searching. I haven't seen them. I wish I had known this a few years ago. It would have resolved a dilemma at home, where one important person didn't want grab bars, since they're "too ugly for words."

[jimbo]

Wingits brand grab bars are optimized for the wingits fasteners, so that is the obvious choice. Here are the distributors ( on line ) http://www.wingits.com/Online-Distributors_ep_42-1.html

[jadnashua]

I've found that the screw pattern on the Wing-It safety bar fastener will fit many other brands. The thing that can be the biggest hassle, regardless of whose you use, is that there is not very much slop in installing the things. I used some in my mother's shower install and they worked great. Much cheaper to just screw into blocking, but if you don't have it, they are a great item. Depending on the bar's mounting flange, you may only have 1/16-1/8" slop in drilling the mounting holes. I suggest making a jig with the holes the proper distance apart and then using it to guide your core drill bit to make the holes rather than trying to measure and drill free-hand through the tile. A drill press to get the holes perfectly perpendicular through your jig is also a very good idea, but if it isn't very thick, it won't affect the distance.

[Hairyhosebib]

I bought one at Home Depot. They have different lengths

[jadnashua]

What I was trying to say is that if you are going to use Wing-Its, when you drill the hole in the wall to mount them, your tolerance is VERY small, or the holes in the bar itself will not line up to mount the bar to the Wing-It. So, to save yourself trouble, it will probably be easier to make a template, drill some holes, make sure the bar will fit into the template, then use the template to make the holes in the wall. I think the Wing-its are a good answer for an added on safety bar...they are well made, solid and if your wall meets the specs, should easily meet the proper strength. Because of the cost, I would not use them if I could or had installed blocking so I could simply use screws.

[Thatguy]

You might also try what they call "assist bars".
A grab bar improperly fastened might equal an assist bar properly fastened. The weight and age/strength of the user also counts.

[jadnashua]

A pair of Wing-Its are spec'ed to meet ADA requirements for a safety bar...if you haven't seen one, the coller is almost the size of the mounting flange of a bar, fits in a large hole with a sleeve, and has somewhere around 8 strong SS fingers that spread out in about a 3-4" circle behind the wall that gets compressed against the back. Once installed, it isn't going anywhere.

[johnfrwhipple]

Grab Bar placements - Following ADA guidelines



The ADA guidelines are way out dated and this was a common theme at the Health Care Design Conference this past week.

Review carefully the placement and insure you have the horizontal grab bars in place. Most frail persons will not do well grabbing a vertical grab bar. Careful what is advised by your builder, setter or General Contractor.

There was a research study presented in Las Vegas that showcased how out dated these ADA guidelines are. The ADA guidelines adapted to help "Fit - Strong - Men" "Soldiers" not "Grannies"...





For more information contact;

Bob Van Driel
Manager, Industrial Products Group
elio a Division of ITC Inc.
230 E. Lakewood Blvd
Holland, MI 49422-8338
t. (616) 403-8957
e. robertv@itc-us.com



Here is a look at a great new option for seniors with partial vision related issues.

http://www.elio-itc.com/product/illu...-safety-handle

Illuminated Safety Handle

I have been reading a great book by Jacob Liberman, O.D., Ph.D. titled "Light - Medicine of the future" in the book the history and the healing properties of light are discussed. Blue light is especially good for the body and studies have shown it's help with treating diseses since 1876 (General Augustus J. Pleasanton)...

I'll post some more detailed pictures and installation advice once I get one of these LED bars in my shop.

JW

[johnfrwhipple]

It's time to light this puppy up!

I received my Elio Grab Bar the other day and me and the boys are going to light it up.

Can't wait.

[johnfrwhipple]

It's powered up...

Looks Fantastic!

[johnfrwhipple]

Don't they look great! I'm waiting on a new version and some different colours but these are fantastic.

I'll see how they look when dimmed...

[jimbo]

Oh great! Electricity in the shower...I can hardly wait!

BTW...this is an interesting discussion about whether the ADA is out of date. But just fail to comply with an ADA spec, and that famous "gotcha" lawfirm , Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe, will own your business! Happens all the time down here. So little mom and pop restauraunt, they go in with calipers and find the stall is narrow by 1/2" or the lav mirror isn't tilted enough....GOTCHA!

[johnfrwhipple]

LED Grab Bars it seems have caught the eye of Margaret P. Calkins, PhD, CAPS, EDAC and for those of you who have not had the pleasure to meet her she is a wonderful resource of information into patient care and Universal Design. I meet Margret last year at the Health Care design conference and look forward to her looming research paper on LED lighting and the improvements in patient safety in our hospitals.



LIGHTED GRAB BARS

One of the most interesting products to recently appear is the lighted grab bar. It is well documented that most falls occur at night, as residents get up to go to the bathroom. When a light is turned on at night, the sudden change of light levels can be physically painful, and the contraction of the pupil is not immediate. If the bathroom light is on, then turning it off before heading back to bed can cause momentary blindness. Both situations put people at high risk for falling. A lighted grab bar provides enough light to find the toilet without having to turn on additional lighting. It also highlights the bar so it is easier to see and use." - Margaret P. Calkins, PhD, CAPS, EDAC * SOURCE

This new research to my understanding is taking place both here in North America and abroad.

In the current issue of Long Term Living (March 2011) Margret includes "Lighted Grab Bars" as on of the most interesting products to appear and lists them in her Top Senior Living Design Innovations article.

Here is a link to the article if you would like to read the whole thing;

http://www.nursinghomesmagazine.com/...DE29E35006607E


If you would like to contact Margaret here is her info;

Margaret P. Calkins, PhD, CAPS, EDAC, is President of I.D.E.A.S., Inc., and Board Chair of IDEAS Institute. She currently serves on the Boards for Pioneer Network, and the American Society on Aging. Contact her at MCalkins@IDEASConsultingInc.com.


Margaret has many great published article and books for download at her site.


* SOURCE

[johnfrwhipple]

A long wait is over.

I just received my first two grab bars from Elio and the quality and new design is outstanding. I'm post a few new pictures of these LED grab bars once I hook up the power supply.

Night Lighting and Grab Bar choices just got easier.

JW