A toilet seat grab bar is a horizontal tube with grips on either side that fits around the toilet bowl. They are typically used to assist in standing up or getting onto or off of the toilet for people with limited mobility. A toilet seat grab bar is a horizontal tube with grips on either side that fits around the toilet bowl. They are typically used to assist in standing up or getting onto or off of the toilet for people with limited mobility.
The majority of bathroom injuries happen in the bathroom itself and can be acute in nature (i.e., trips, slips, falls), or chronic (poor positioning in sitting or standing). According to recent statistics by The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, many adults over 65 years old experience problems using toilets because of an increased risk of falling/fall-related injury when they use toilets designed for younger adults.
It has been estimated that 30% – 50% of all hospitalized fall injuries involve the elderly population number of bathroom injuries as more than 1 million people visit the emergency room each year as a result of injury from falls involving toilets.
The grab bars, which create handles for users to hold onto when getting up or sitting down, help provide additional stability and prevent slips and falls due to wet floors, poor lighting conditions or if a user is carrying something while using the toilet. Grab bars are helpful tools in preventing dangerous accidents on any type of toilet bowl, including those found in public bathrooms at the workplace or schools. A recent study showed that many public facilities do not have proper sanitation equipment installed, such as grab bars, leading to additional accidents.
There are four types of toilet seat grab bars: suction cups, adhesive wall pads, brackets, and tension mounted. Suction cups and adhesive pads simply attach to the wall and don’t require any tools or screws. Brackets usually mount between two walls in a bathroom, an area often overlooked but can support heavy-duty grab bars. Finally, tension mounted bar is best used when the seat is not stationary such as with an elongated bowl toilet seat.
Each type of seat grab bar has its own disadvantages: suction cups cannot hold up to the large weight capacity needed for standing transfers; adhesive pads cannot be moved around and repositioned, brackets may damage your walls and don’t provide stability & tension mounted bars are hard to install properly.
Whether you are old or young, there are always times when it is necessary to have a grab bar installed for extra support.
Check out our picks of the best grab bars for bathrooms
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