Summary
In this episode of CareLab, occupational therapists Brandy Archie and Emilia Bourland dive into the topic of grab bars, exploring the best and worst options for enhancing home safety and independence. They discuss the pros and cons of various grab bar types, offer practical advice for choosing the right ones, and share insights into alternative solutions that might work better in certain situations. Their conversation highlights the importance of thoughtful planning and collaboration with professionals when modifying homes for aging in place.
Key Takeaways:
- Prioritizing Safety Over Aesthetics: While aesthetics matter, safety should always come first when selecting grab bars or alternative equipment.
- Flexibility and DIY Solutions: Opt for flexible and DIY-friendly options to increase the likelihood of successful home modifications.
- The Importance of Professional Input: Consulting with an occupational therapist before making modifications can save time, money, and ensure long-term functionality.
- Alternatives to Grab Bars: Sometimes, alternatives like toilet rails or transfer poles may be more effective and easier to install than traditional grab bars.
- Avoiding Common Mistakes: Not all grab bars are created equal—avoid suction cup grab bars and ensure proper installation to maximize safety.
Transcript:
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
That's what I love about locks is that I don't have to worry about anything. I can just always walk out and be like, I didn't look in the mirror today. No problem. I'm just going to take it out and put it up on it. It'll be beautiful. So I love it.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yeah, I'm very jealous of that. I mean, my hair pretty much looks the same always because there's not that much of it, which is actually why I cut it all off because I was like sick of dealing with all the hair situation. But exactly. Hey, everyone, welcome to Care Lab. OK, Brandy, I've got a question for you. OK. Actually, hold on. I've got to remember what my question was.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Exactly.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Welcome to Care Lab.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
I'm ready for it.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
okay.
You want to mark that?
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yeah.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Okay.
Hey everyone, welcome to Keir Lab.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Welcome to Care Lab. I'm so glad to be here.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
I am happy to be here as well and I have a question for you to start off.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
I'm ready to take it on.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Is there a word that you cannot spell no matter how many times you write it?
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yes, yes, they're like, these are their shoes. I always spell that wrong. Always. Everyone do a medical word. I always spell.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
I don't know.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
a couple of them wrong, but now I can't remember which one it is. Not neuroma, but something with an N that I can't ever spell. And I'm just like, I should know this, but I can't get it out. I don't know. But there is the worst one because you should know that in like the second grade.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
You know what?
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
You know, I think a lot of people struggle with all of the forms of there, because there are a lot of forms of there.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
That's true. I mean, but regular there, T -H -E -R -E is fine. When it's there as something that's just yours, E and I, I'm always messing them up.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
yeah, I actually struggle with E and I have to repeat to myself in many situations, I before E, except after C. Pretty much anytime an I and an E are right together, because they both look good to me. They both look right. They always look right.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
I always look right. I'm like, is that right or not? I don't know.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
okay, so one of my words, I actually have multiple words, but one of them that I struggle with the most is guard.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
They both look right. Whether the A is first or the U is first, I couldn't tell you right now. I don't know.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
G -U -A -R -D, right? Now you're making me confused. I don't know. This is why we have spill check.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Is that right? Well, because it's, this is, thank God for spell check. I tell you what. Yeah, no. So the only reason, and you would think like, why would guard be something that you even have to spell? So, you know, back in the day when I was working in the county hospital, we would see folks from the, like jail and prison population, because those folks need medical care too.
And there's, yeah, exactly. So there's always a guard with those folks. And you have to document that the guard is there when you arrive and that the guard is there when you leave. And so, but there's no spell check in EMRs, in Electronical Medical Records. You actually just have to know how to spell things.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yep, we're changing this too.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
That's true and that's so weird. I guess it's because there's so many medical words that can't... But we have technology that can deal with this. I don't know. It seems like a problem. That's all I'm saying.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
that are weird.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
We do, but it does. So here is how I would, here was my lazy man's way of solving that problem. And this is embarrassing and I shouldn't share it, but I do like to overshare things here on CareLab. So I would spell it both ways. Like, well, you have to document that they're there when you get there and then you document that they're there when you leave. So I would do it both ways. So like one of them would just look like a typo.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
What does that mean, you wrote guard twice?
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yeah.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
And watermelon's right. I like it. You spread out your odds. It's fun.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yeah, so.
Yeah, yeah, I probably I also could have just pulled out my phone and looked at it every time. Because again, we do have the technology to solve this problem. But that's how my brain worked in that situation. So.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
these things are useful.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
So what are we supposed to be really talking about today?
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Okay, so we were really talking today. We're gonna talk about, okay, so what are the two things that people think about when they think about getting their home prepared for aging in place? They think, of course, okay, well, I need a one story house. That's like the first thing. And then the second thing they think is, what do you think? Exactly, exactly. So that's what we're talking about today. So let's talk about,
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
then I need a grab bar. That's what all people call that. I need grab bars to install in my bathroom.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Grab bars, the things that are great about them, maybe why they might not always be the best solution. And then kind of thinking outside of the box with grab bars too. Does that sound good? All right, care lab time.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
I love it. Let's do it.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
I love freezing.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Don't all jump in at once. Okay, so grab bars. Let me just start out with asking you, do you always recommend grab bars? Are they something that you always put in every home that you're in? Okay.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
No.
No, I actually actively try to avoid grab bars and use grab bars as a last resort. I'm going to tell you why. Grab bars are super helpful. I'm not against them. This is not me talking about walk -in tubs, okay? But they provide a challenge to get them installed. And there's lots of reasons they can be challenging. So one, you need to make sure you're installing them well. Somebody needs to actually do that installation. Some places you want to put them,
You can't. And so if we're relying on that as your form of independence or this is the main way we're going to adapt a home, it just creates a lot of barriers. There's lots of times where you can't use a grab bar to solve the problem. So in my mind, if we can solve the problem without a grab bar first, we can get to a solution more quickly. A great example is let's say we already have a walk -in shower and somebody is struggling to maintain their balance in there. I'm already going to recommend a shower chair in the first place.
Your shower chair has armrests on it. If you can step into there safely and you can use the armrests to push yourself up to stand to wash your bottom and then hold them to sit down. I don't know that you always have to have a grab bar, you know, and I'm not going to not recommend it and make it happen if they really do need it. But frankly, there's lots of ways where you can deal with it without it.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yeah, same, especially I would say when it comes to like tub shower combinations, a lot of times people will, they'll think, okay, either I need to rip this whole thing out and put it in a walk -in shower, which actually isn't necessarily the best long -term solution. And a lot of times it's not necessary or they'll think, well, I need a grab bar to get in here. And not saying that sometimes a grab bar wouldn't be helpful in those situations or wouldn't help solve the problem, but it's not always the most expedient thing to do to your point. It's not always the cheapest thing to do.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
necessary. Yep.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
to your point. So you just put a tub transfer bench in there and a lot of times it solves that problem, you know, just, just like that.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Exactly.
Yeah, because you're going to sit to scoot over anyway. So now I don't need to hold on to step over. And there's a handrail on the inside part of the tub transfer bench you can hold on to to push up to stand if you do need to. Then you're going to sit back down and scoot over. You don't actually have a grab bar, for safe. The other area is like getting up from the toilet. And there's lots of situations in which you can't really put a grab bar in in a good place by the toilet. And so I much prefer to recommend toilet rails.
and risers so that you have a way to a place to hold on and get up and down. Because sometimes your toilet is not close to a wall or next to it is like the tub, which means there's no place to put a bar or it's next to a sink, which means you got a cabinet that you really can't screw into. Even though you feel like you're in a closed space where you should have something to hold on to, you actually don't have anything decent to hold on to. And so toilet rolls just solve it a lot better.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Yeah. I also like the way sometimes that putting like a toilet riser or a bedside commode over a toilet helps. It helps to sustain and maintain strength a lot of the times because of the way you push down through your arms and the way that it helps to encourage like pushing through the feet as well. So it's a good way to kind of help maintain independence. Obviously, it's not necessarily a perfect solution for everyone, but.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Mm -hmm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
it can be a good solution, especially when grab bars aren't necessarily possible to be installed somewhere. Or if you're really thinking about, okay, how do I maintain longer term strength or independence doing this type of transfer getting up and down? Because when we put in grab bars, it does change the way that we push and pull and apply force in order to do transfers. And so,
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Mm -hmm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Ultimately, that's going to change the way that your body adapts over time to being able to do that kind of movement.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
I mean, think about it like this. How many places in your life are you actually pulling to get up as opposed to pushing? There's very few. You might pull on like the car handle to like swing yourself around and get yourself out. You pull on grab bars if you add them. And there's maybe a bed rail if you add it. But like, if you have not added anything, there's no place where you pull to get up. You push. You push from the seat. You push from the armrests of it. You push from the table.
And so the more we can facilitate continuing to do that, the more independent it could be in other places because we can't just throw up grab bars in the middle of the air everywhere that you can then use. You have to use the environment the way it is in a lot of places. You can change your house, but you can't change the world. And so it's way more useful, I think, to be able to continue the process of pushing.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
That said, I do like grab bars, and I do recommend that they get installed pretty frequently for folks. And they can honestly be life -changing in terms of someone's ability to do something safely or independently in the situation that they're in. I would also say that a well -placed and well -designed grab bar can help lots of people in the home.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Mm -hmm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
in the way that they might feel more comfortable with versus using a piece of adaptive equipment like a toilet riser or a bedside commode. And then the other benefit, and I'll talk a little bit, I want to dig a little bit more into that second point, but the other benefit is that if you do have a grab bar, if it is securely and properly mounted to a stud, that thing is going nowhere. And there is...
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Nowhere.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
always albeit maybe a small risk, as long as it's the proper equipment and it's installed properly, then whatever adaptive equipment you're using should be safe. But if something is not mounted to the wall in a stud, it's never going to be as bombproof as something that is mounted to a stud in the wall. And so for folks in certain situations, that can be and often is the most appropriate option.
But what I was going to say about my second point there is one of the things that I think is great about grab bars versus sometimes using a piece of adaptive equipment is that people don't always want that adaptive equipment for aesthetic reasons.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yeah. And if you're not going to use a thing because you don't like how it looks, you don't want it in your space, then while I might still say this is the simplest and easiest way to solve the problem, if you're not going to do it, then the problem is solved. So OK, so here's another option. And grab bars can do that in a lot better way because they come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. You want to know what my favorite unique grab bar is?
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yes?
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
in the right situation, I should say. There's no hard and fast rules here. Everything depends on your house and what you need. But one of the unique ones I really love is the one that has a toilet paper holder on it. And because people are always pushing on toilet paper holders, even though they're screwed in with screws this short, into a drywall and they're always falling off the wall. And it's because it's like in a place where you want to push. And so you end up leaning on it.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Mmm.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
So if you just actually turn that into a grab bar that is properly installed and ready for your weight, then it's a win -win.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
I also think that's a really good way of installing a grab bar in such a way that it actually mimics the effects of something like a toilet riser with handles or a bedside commode over the toilet, because you can still achieve that push down that you really want to achieve to help keep people more independent with getting up and down longer over time. And so that's another big benefit of kind of using that maybe less common grab bar, but still a grab bar that is going to be
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Mm -hmm.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Mm -hmm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
super functional and again, that if it's well placed can really support long -term independence and function over time in a unique way.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
and just looks like a toilet paper holder. So, yeah.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
just looks like a toilet paper holder. I will also say, okay, so I have that, that's a good time to talk about this grab bar that I happen to have here for, yes, show and tell time. Okay, so thinking about that, that ability to have a grab bar placed in such a way that might mimic having handrails on the toilet, as opposed to having...
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Show and tell time.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
you know, a grab bar that's mounted to the wall that maybe you're doing a forward reach and pull on. This is a cool product from Ponte Giulio. It's a fold down grab bar. So it kind of mounts to the wall like that. It definitely does. Yes, sorry. It definitely does. By the way, I'll just note here, you do not want a grab bar that does not mount securely to the wall. A suction cup, yes, suction cup grab bars.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Time will war definitely not. Over and out.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
I am such a.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
are not grab bars. If you need to hear more about this, please check out our episode on our three most hated pieces of adaptive equipment and you can learn all about it there. Suction cup grab bars, not.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Not grab ours.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
So this does securely mount the wall and then it flips up and down. And of course there are, there are, I'm holding it, but I'm holding, how am I holding this? Wait, there. So I was holding it the wrong way. Wait, was I? Yeah, this one flips down. Okay. Because you want this, this nice curved part on top. So this is a flip down grab bar. So you can essentially mount it to the wall. And when you don't need it there, you can flip it out of the way. So it's not impeding.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yeah.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
the space that someone has to walk in, which can sometimes be another issue with putting, again, like a bedside commode over a toilet or something like that, because it can impede the walking space in a small bathroom. So in a small bathroom, you can have something like this that's mounted to the wall and you just fold it up and down basically when you need it. And again, you can mount this in a way where it essentially mimics a handrail, or if you had two handrails next to,
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Mm -hmm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
the toilet. So you could use it in that way. And then again, for people who need it, there it is. It's up and down. It's not obtrusive. It's like aesthetically pleasing. But for people who don't, it can always, it can always be flipped out of the way and it can get out of the way if you're, if you're walking around. The other thing that I will say I like about this one in particular, and this isn't, this is something I think only Pondi Giulio does, is it's actually coated in vinyl and,
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Mm -hmm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
And OK, here's what I love about that, especially for particular populations of folks. So if you have arthritis or like if you care for someone who has arthritis, this is a really nice feature for a couple of reasons. One, because it's warmer. It's not as cold as a traditional metal grab bar. And that actually makes it less aggravating to many forms of arthritis to grab onto. The other thing is.
it has more kind of natural friction to it. So it's grippier. And what that means is you don't have to have as much grip strength to use it. And that is very important for anyone who has reduced grip strength for any reason, arthritis included among that. But there are lots of conditions that cause people to not have as much grip in their hands as they normally would. And so the fact that this basically is less slippery is what I'm saying, means that someone can still use it.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Mm -hmm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
with a lower grip strength and that's really, really valuable for certain folks.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
And also, I think that's part of the reason why I shaped that way. And so like a fully cylindrical grab bar means that you got to make this, your fingers bend at this kind of angle the whole time to hold on tightly. And if you have any trouble with doing that, that makes it harder to have the best grip strength on that grab bar. And that has a more, I'm missing all my right words for this, but it has this more of an angle. I'm putting my hands up and making like less of a C shape. And that makes it easier to grab no matter what kind of.
ability to close your knuckles that you have. And the other thing that you didn't mention too is that flipping those up out of the way, while they're helpful for walking space, they're really helpful for somebody who needs to do a slide board or a scoop pivot transfer, or maybe is not gonna be able to get all the way up. And when you add rails or a bedside commode on top, unless you get something that's drop -on or flip -down, you're...
restricting that space and so now there's no opening to go sideways. And so these flip up grab bars can be a great solution for that. So I love it for that too. Since we're talking about toilets and bars, it sometimes can be hard to have a stud to screw in that's right behind the toilet to screw that flip down grab bar in. And I've had that.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yeah, huge challenge, huge challenge.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
It's a challenge, right? I've had that occasion many times. And so, okay, what do you do if you don't want to put rails on the toilet that doesn't work for your situation? You don't have any studs close by to let that flip bar, flip down, grab bar, work for you. It's really cool that there are some that attach to the floor themselves. And I'm pretty sure Apatia Julia was the only one that has this, first one I found that I like. And so it mounts to the floor.
which you don't really have problems with studs because the whole floor is stud because you got plywood, like under, plywood subfloor. So you can screw it in exactly where you need it to be. It's really sturdy and it also flips out of the way. So maybe the beam part of it is kind of backed by the bowl of the toilet, so it's out of your way. But then the arm part of that comes out as a decent length so that you can use it no matter where you are and then flip it out the way when you don't need it.
I also really like it as a simple solution for like one or two steps. So like getting in and out of the garage, oftentimes it's like a step and then another, and then walking into the house. And so you could put a grab bar on the wall vertically, just like on the door frame. That works pretty good most of the time. But if your balance is not quite as good and you can't lean forward to grab that from down on the garage floor as you step up, then.
you need something kind of sticking out. And yeah, you could have somebody come and install a railing, but it's fairly expensive to do. And it's not as DIY. You kind of need to make a whole plan to do that. But this, you could just attach to the step itself, especially if it's wood, and then flip it down when you need it, and walk up the one or two steps that you got. So I love that as a solution too.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yeah, I also like as soon as you started describing it very much zeroed in on these like garage entrance situations because sometimes those are the most tricky entrances to like solve and make safe in a home because you can't build a ramp a lot of times if there's stairs in the garage because the ramp needs to be so long that it would take up all the space where the car goes. There's not actually space for that. So you can't do that a lot of time.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Mm -hmm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
And a lot of times stairs going up from a garage into a house are very deep and very narrow because again, the garage is made for the car to go into. Whoever built the house didn't want the stairs to take up a bunch of space. And so they're really difficult to work with. And so like you said, you could have a rail install there, but sometimes that also can impede movement through the space in the garage in other ways.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Mm -hmm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
or just depending on how many steps there actually are, that may or may not be a reasonable or workable solution. And you know that I'm all about things that are flexible when we're doing home modifications. So it is a good, that's a great use case scenario for that particular product because it creates stability within a flexible system that you can essentially
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yeah.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yep.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
You can have it down when you need it, and when you don't need it, it can be up out of the way. I love it. I love flexible things.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Flexible things, yes. There are these DIY rails that are for like two or three steps that you can buy and screw in, but then you need to screw it in at both spots, because it needs to be at the top and the bottom. And if you have a concrete slab garage, which most of us do, that makes it a little more challenging, even though the top one is on maybe a wooden step and you could just easily screw that in. Then you got to dig into the concrete to screw the other one in. And this Ponte Giulio one just has one base and then the flip down arm.
So that's just, I'm always looking for things that are easier to do. Like maybe you do need to hire somebody to do a thing if you don't have anybody around who can do it. But I like for like all the things that ask Sammy, for example, are as DIY as possible. So if anybody has the capability to use screwdriver and has the mobility to get down to screw something in, they can probably use it. And this fits that mold. It's pretty easy to put in.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Mm -hmm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yeah, and I think that's a good kind of like keeping things as DIY as possible is also a good guideline for making recommendations and having projects that are actually achievable for folks. The more layers that go either the more layers, time or cost that goes into getting a project completion completed, the less likely it is that that project is actually going to be completed. And then people are going to end up like piecemealing something else together. So it's so important to have these options.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yeah!
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
that are DIY that are super easy and essentially require a single step in order to get done because then they actually will get done. And if these projects don't get done, then we haven't actually, what have we done? We haven't made anyone safer. We haven't made anyone more independent. We haven't increased someone's ability to be in their home. And so it's gotta be actually something that can be accomplished.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
What have we done?
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Totally. I mean, I can be the smartest OT in the world and give you the best solution for your option. And if you don't do it, then it's worthless. You know, like if you're not capable of doing it, you don't want to do it, whatever, whatever the reason is. If it doesn't get done, then the recommendation is worthless. Even if it is like the most unique, smartest, coolest, whatever thing. And so that's why flexibility is so important. So yeah. Okay. I had a question for you. All right, now.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yep. okay.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
We already hated on section cut grab bars because they're hateful, but.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
They are hateful. I will hate on them every episode if you want me to.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
It's given the chance, I know. Okay, but here's a problem. Tell me some solutions for, let's say I have a shower with an enclosure, like a fiberglass enclosure, and I need balance support. How can I make that safe?
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Well, so the problem with fiberglass is we can't put in grab bars there. And partly, I'll say it depends on the layout of the shower and the bathroom overall. But one of my favorite workable solutions here is to use a transfer pole if it can be put in the right place. So a transfer pole is like, you know what? I'm just going to say it. It looks like a stripper pole. OK?
They don't all look like stripper pole. Some of them actually have handles on them that you can like adjust where the handle goes and all and all that stuff. But for all intents and purposes, it can look like a stripper pole. But it mounts to the floor and it mounts to the ceiling. And you can put it anywhere where you can mount it to the floor or the ceiling. So in situations where you where you need something that is that secure and you need and you can't mount a traditional grab bar again, like a fiberglass.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
I'm going to go ahead and give you the CME.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
shower is a good example of that, then they can be really helpful solutions. What about you? Is there something else that you usually recommend for that?
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yeah, I hope and pray that maybe we can put a grab bar just outside of the fiberglass. Because, you know, usually getting in the tub is one of the big problems. And so the fiberglass doesn't take up the whole bathroom. So if we can put one right as you step in vertically before you get the fiberglass, one, there's a stud there. And two, we don't have to screw in the fiberglass. And the second thing I would say in addition to a floor sealer pole is the other good solution, is a chair. And...
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Mm -hmm.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
put the chair in there and make sure you use the chair and use the arms on the chair, I think is kind of a key thing.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yeah, I all out and like tub transfer benches, my honestly, it's probably the piece of equipment that I have recommended most over the course of my career. They work well, even with walk -in showers. Honestly, like as long as you can, as long as there's a way to manage the water with a tub transfer bench, then I recommend them for walk -in showers all the time because it still eliminates that need to step over and it can be a really, really, again, workable.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yes.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
effective and inexpensive solution that doesn't require a contractor necessarily to come in the house. I'll also say that this is actually a good potential solution for that situation too, to mount a grab bar just outside that can kind of like flip up and down so that it's not in the way when it's not being in use. But like, this is a good potential solution for that scenario as well. And it has...
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
yeah.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
What I like about it versus like a grab bar that is mounted either like, you know, vertically right there as people would step into the shower is, sorry, the mounting thing just fell off in my lap. That's fine. It's meant for it. That's meant for it for it to happen. This is the mounting piece. Is that it extends out a little bit. So particularly if it's a very large shower and maybe.
the person is going to need to sit down in a shower chair that's inside the shower, but is not right up against the wall, then it gives them a little bit more wiggle room to actually have support while they're stepping in and out and doing that transfer versus having to be so close to the wall that they can reach a grab bar that's kind of like flesh mounted up and down, if that makes sense.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Like right there. Yeah. Yeah, totally. Any other favorite grab bars that you have?
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Do I have other favorite grab bars? I feel like that's like the nerdiest most OT question. That's true. It is a nerdy OT podcast. You know, I can't say that there are, I'm trying to think.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Listen, this is a Radio D podcast. I'm home.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
I love any grab bar or product that provides the solution that my client needs.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
That's so sweet. I love that.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Hmm. I'm a sweet person.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Another one I would add is that if you're really concerned about how a space looks and you want to have grab bars, there are a whole suite of kinds of grab bars that do two functions. So I talked about the one that holds toilet paper, and there's some that hold soap dishes. There's some that hold, that are shelf in the shower. So you can pull on it, but it also can hold something. I really love the kind that,
can hold a towel without putting the towel over the bar itself. People are pulling on those towel bars all the time. And then let me also just add this little piece. Here in our area, there's a lot of places where you have tile -mounted towel bars. Like the bar itself is adhesed in the tile just the same way the tile is.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Mm.
Yes, yes, okay.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yes, yes, same in Dallas. These old like 1920s to 1950s house, they're just, it's part of the tile.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
It's part of the tile. So it is really secure and sturdy. But the bar itself is not. And I've seen many of the bars, the towel bars, be broken in half. Even though it didn't come out the wall, the bar itself broke. You still can't pull on those is what I'm trying to say. And so by adding a grab bar that has a little loop underneath it to have your towel holder, then you get the best of both worlds.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Can I just explain really fast? Because I agree with you wholeheartedly, but I want to explain why.
In my opinion, it's not OK to just put a grab bar up and then put a towel over the grab bar. That is because exactly. So if you just have a grab bar and then you hang a towel over the grab bar, when that person goes to grab it, they're not probably grabbing the grab bar. They're grabbing a towel. And that towel can slip off. And then you don't really. Then you got a problem. You're not holding on to anything. So I.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Sure, I'm taking that for granted, yeah.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Then you're not holding on to it.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
What I would always say is if you're going to do a grab bar as towel rack solution, it has to be a grab bar that is specifically made to have the grab bar and then the towel hanging on it separately. Otherwise, it's really not a good, safe solution. And if you're not going to get one of those, then what I say is put the grab bar up where people are grabbing, where they naturally want to grab. Put the towel on a hook.
because no one grabs a hook for support, just right next to it. So, but like aesthetically and functionally, I think the grab bar that has the towel, the separate like towel rack on it, perfect. Same as the toilet paper holder that has the separate toilet paper thing on it, right? It serves both functions in a way that doesn't impair safety and is honestly quite aesthetically pleasing. So it's a good option for folks.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
That. Yes, that.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yep. Moral of the story is you have options. It does not have to be a 16 inch silver grab bar. It don't have to be that. Those are very effective and they can work well. But there's lots of options available to you.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
You have to.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Mm -mm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yep, and some of them, if aesthetics is a thing for you and you really want it to look a certain way, you can get grab bars that look all kinds of ways. They come in different colors. They come in different shapes. I would say that I recommend round ones though, because they're easier to grab, versus square ones. But yeah, you can get, honestly, you can get beautiful grab bars that really add to the look of a bathroom or a space.
instead of detracting it. Okay, I have one more question. sorry, go ahead.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
But you know, we won't get down to that. In order to do that though, you need to plan ahead. So you know, discharge it from the hospital and like, now I need grad bars. Like you're gonna have to take what you can get in a quick amount of time. And some of these other ones you might need to order and they might come in a couple of days, but you need it today. You gotta pick up something off the shelf. So this is just another reminder to think ahead about this and plan it in.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yeah.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yes, and if you are thinking ahead about aging in place, you are going to do a bathroom remodel as part of that. Please, please reach out to a local occupational therapist who can help you or go to Ask Ami, right? Who can help you to figure out what the best solution is for your particular space. Because what Brandy and I have seen,
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Mm -hmm.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
all too often is we've walked into lots of bathrooms that were remodeled by a very well -intentioned contractor who maybe didn't necessarily understand all of the possibilities that were going to happen for someone. And they end up with a very beautiful bathroom that is not functional for that person because things aren't really where they need to be, or they're not laid out in a way that's gonna be accessible. And then you end up in a situation where we're trying to like,
come up with other solutions because either there is no money left or there's not time to redo the bathroom again. So if you are planning ahead, if you're one of those proactive people who are thinking, okay, I'm gonna age in place, I know I need my bathroom redone, do yourself a favor, save yourself a lot of time and money and heartache and work with an occupational therapist to help you make sure it's going to work now, but also in the future for you.
whatever arises, because we really can do that. That's what we're here for.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
That's what we're here for. And you can find a virtual assessment at Sammy. And also in a couple of months, you can even find your local OT who does this on Ask Sammy too. So if you want somebody to come be present in the house and do it virtually. So yeah, get an OT. One of the worst feelings in the world is having to go to somebody's house who recently had a bathroom remodel, then had a change in their abilities. And now the space that they already spent tens of thousands of dollars on does not.
work for their needs. And now we're talking about messing it up or changing it in some way to make it work for them. It's like such a letdown because they already did all this in advance, but just didn't get some input. And so even if your contractor is CAP certified, I would still highly recommend that you connect with an OT in order to just consult with your plans. Maybe come up with all the plans together, but just consult like, hey, let's just make these couple of changes and then this would be awesome.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
Yeah, because CAPS is about, it is a helpful thing for a contractor to have. It's about construction. It is, being CAPS certified does not make someone aware of what health problems might be present or how those health care issues are going to impact function. It doesn't do that. In order to do that, you really have to have, I was going to say health care provider, but honestly, you really have to have an OT.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Yeah.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Need no tea!
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
for that, that we are the healthcare providers that are actually like trained and built to do that. So that's really what you need an OT for. And of course, your OT is going to work with the contractor that you have or work with the contractor maybe that they are in touch with who works with them to do these kinds of projects to make sure that all of that construction and installation goes properly. But you, a CAP certification is not the same as understanding what your long -term functionality or healthcare needs are gonna be.
You have to have an OT for that.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Exactly. Well, I think we can't live the heck out of GrabRog.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
I think we care. We sure did. We care lab the heck out of it. We care lab did to death. Not yet. I bet we'll talk about. We care. Thanks, that's that's better, especially because we'll probably I mean, you know, grab bars, they come up. And I'm definitely going to bad mouth suction cup grab bars again in the future.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
to life, we can't get it to life.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
gonna happen for sure.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
That's gonna happen, so just buckle up, buttercup.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
But if you want to hear more about us talking badly about Section Cup grab bars, then you should like and subscribe so you can make sure you know when all of our new episodes are coming out and can stay in contact with us.
Emilia Bourland, OTR, ECHM, CFPS
All right, thanks so much everyone. We'll see you next time on Care Lab. Bye.
Brandy Archie, OTD, OTR/L, CLIPP
Bye.
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