5 Things You Must Know About Grab Bars

Grab bars are one of the most versatile, frequently used, and easily available home modifications on the market today. They’re sold not only in specialty stores, but also are available from both major and local hardware stores. More houses are even starting to be built with grab bars ready for use. Despite becoming more common, there are still many misconceptions about grab bars.  Mistakes are still being made that effect a person’s safety and quality of life. 

Here  are five things everyone should know about grab bars before they recommend one or buy one.

1. Grab bars are not magic, nor are they one size fits all. Grab bars, like any other home modification, work best if they are placed where they are needed. Location will be determined by the difficulty a person has (if any) with balance or strength, how far they can safely reach, and the environment. If you aren't simply planning for the future, you can consult with an occupational therapist, physical therapist, or a certified aging in place specialist before deciding exactly where to put a grab bar.
2. Grab bars don’t just have to go into studs. Grab bars can be secured with reliable new technology.  Blind fasteners rated for grab bars can be used to place grab bars exactly where they need to be if a stud or blocking is not available. 
3. Grab bars don’t have to be permanent to be secure. Many people worry about the resale value of their house if they get a grab bar, or are afraid that they will have to move and won’t be able to take their grab bars with them. Traditional wall mounted grab bars can be beautiful, but they are not the only choice for balance support. Floor to Ceiling poles like the Superpole from Healthcraft, bars that attach or clamp to fixtures like the tub and toilet, and even high quality suction bars may be used on the right surfaces.    
4. US Accessibility Standards or the American with Disabilities Act Guidelines and other codes may not apply to your home. Many people are not sure what codes apply to them. Many guidelines cover placement of grab bars in commercial or multi-family homes. If you don’t live in a home like this, you can put grab bars exactly where you need them. If you live in a place where codes define where grab bars are located, you can usually still exceed the guidelines and put in more grab bars in additional locations. This is a good thing, as the codes are designed to appeal to as wide a base as possible, but individual people benefit from individual customization with home modifications like grab bars.
5. Grab bars are not just for people who are aging or have a disability. Grab bars can help anyone in the bathroom. People of all ages can fall. Nearly a quarter of a million people are injured each year in the bathroom, and 80% of those are from slipping and falling. A grab bar will reduce the risk a fall will occur. Having a grab bar or bars installed can not only make the home more safer and more accessible, it may actually increase value to certain markets.

So, share the news and share the video. Here are 5 very important things people should know about grab bars. You may be surprised how many people will be amazed that there is anything to know about grab bars at all!

Automatic Door Opener

Automatic door opener

Is a power door opener a luxury or a necessity? Frankly it depends upon how much effort it takes to open the door another way. I have plenty of friends and clients who use mobility equipment who might say they've gotten used to the extra steps they use to open and close doors compared to those of us who stand and walk. We don't have to think about our balance, backing up with our mobility equipment to get out of the way when we are moving the door, or having to turn our walker or wheelchair around and approach the door again in order to close it.

Lever handles and building in some space beside the door when possible, so a person can stand or sit to the side of the door while it swings open past them are two manual ways to make opening a door easier for some people. Of course sometimes it isn't practical to provide additional space beside the door.

Two manual approaches to closing the include tying a string to the door and catching it with your hand or  wheelchair as you pass through and adding an extra handle. These pictures from www.howtoadapt.com shows both. When I work with people who choose to add a handle whether it is screwed in, magnetic, or suction, I strongly suggest they take the extra time to turn around and reach forward to get hold of the handle in order to protect their shoulders, but that of course takes time.

Opening and closing a door with the push of a button seems like a really good idea to me. It could protect a person with poor balance, save a person time and aggravation, and frankly make it possible for some people to handle the task on their own. Total Home Access Solutions, installs Open Sesame Power Doors in private homes and residential communities.

This American company provides a reliable door opener that is flexible enough to work with in-swinging or out swinging, right hand or left hand doors, which allows my clients to re-use their opener if they move. We can provide a variety of switches which best meet a person's requirements.  These openers don't interfere with another person's manual use of the door and charge themselves so they are always available even if the power goes out. Give us a call if you want more details about how these doors work.

Is a power door opener a luxury or a necessity? If you can't open the door any other way; If the cost of remodeling to provide room around the door exceeds the cost of a power opener; if you run the risk of falling when you operate the door; or if you would like to get through the door and close it behind you with the same effort that most people expend, I think you'll be among the people who consider a power door opener a necessity for successful independent living.

Let us know what you think!  BPhillips@Totalrr.com

Oasis Seated Shower System™ a new way to bathe people

Oasis Seated Shower System™  a new way to bathe people

Helping people bathe is not one of those activities that most of us spend much time worrying about.  Of course we were taught the importance of good hygiene from our parents and our mentors as we growing up.  Of course we are influenced by the multitude of advertisements for personal cleaning products.   For the most part though, we jump in and out of our showers and tubs without a lot of effort or thought about what we are doing.

When a person is unable to clean themselves, the bathing activity requires a great deal more attention.   Even if a health professional is the person doing the bathing,  being undressed and allowing someone to touch you is a process that is uncomfortable socially for most people.     If a person is unable to stand up, getting really clean around the genitals and anus may be very hard to accomplish.   Health professionals such as Nurses and Occupational Therapists spend a great deal of time and energy devising procedures and ways to help keep other people clean.  The consequences of inadequate hygiene such as UTIs (urinary tract infections) can be very debilitating, or even life threatening for people.

If reading my last paragraph made you a little uncomfortable, imagine what trying to clean someone else must be like or what having someone bathe you must be like.  

I'm really excited to present the Oasis Seated Shower System™  because I love to help people find solutions.  This technology allows really excellent cleaning with less hands on touching during the process.  People are still present and still helping with moving a person, drying them, doing little extra touches with hair, hands, or feet so there is still the one to one human contact, but some of the most uncomfortable and difficult  cleaning is taken care of with no touching.  Dangerous things like having a person with poor balance standing or leaning to the side to clean the buttocks area are eliminated.  

The Oasis is easy to use and set up.  It uses the existing shower water supply and drain so there is no construction.  It  actually uses less water than a traditional shower or tub and because water doesn't circulate inside the seat, it is a very clean and low maintenance piece of equipment.

Here is a link to another cool video about the Oasis.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfOsPTtWsPI
Remember, in a few short years, you will be able to say, "I was among the first to see the Oasis.  It was the start of how we bathe people today!".  


Right now I have a loaner I can take to facilities and let a few people try it out for themselves to see how much better their residents and bathing staff feel using the Oasis than they do using the old fashioned methods.    If you have any questions about how it might fit for you, give me a call 402-291-9514 or email, BPhillips@Totalrr.com.

Check out our flyer!

Magic Wand of Accessibility

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Sorry Virginia, there is no magic access wand.

Sometimes we can tell that we are disappointing the person standing in front of us at a health fair or talking to us on the phone. We are simply too responsible to attempt to solve their home accessibility answer without more information and usually without going to their home. Sometimes they’ve given long explanations of what is going on and what isn’t working, and we have listened. But even when they can accurately describe their abilities and what their home looks like, they are only able to give us their perspective of those things. 

While our client’s perspective is critical and plays a huge role in the recommendations we make, they deny themselves the benefit of our objectivity and experience over the years if they ask us to rely solely on their impressions. 

Here are a few reasons why a responsible access consultant won’t just attempt to solve problems for people without a good individual and on-site review:

1. There are accessibility guidelines that some people think can be used like a cookbook for access such as the Americans with Disability Accessibility Act Guidelines, but these are not designed to meet the personal need of every individual and they aren’t required in private residences unless they’ve been incorporated into a building code.

2. Every person is different from others and should be treated individually. Even two people with the same medical condition, same age, same size, and same sex, will have different goals, preferences and abilities.

3. Houses are very different from each other.
In short, there really is no notebook or cookbook that says what is exactly right for every person and we know there is really no such thing as accessibility magic wands so we have to rely on good old evaluation, knowledge about a multitude of options, and the experience to match those options with the individual’s needs. We feel like the best way to solve an access issue is to listen to a person to understand their goals and observe them in the environment they want to change. So if you give us a call with an access question, we really don’t want to disappoint you. Expect a thorough residential access answer to include a visit to you in your residence. 

If you want an objective, professional solution to your residential access problem, call us and set an appointment with one of our designers. We provide in-home assessments with no travel fee in the Greater Omaha, Nebraska area. All other areas in Nebraska and Iowa are possible with a travel fee. We will give you a firm estimate of your costs for consultation when you call to make an appointment.