Grab Bars for Bathrooms Can Prevent An Elderly Trip and Fall – Part 2

One of my favorite trip and fall prevention methods, as well as being a help after a fall, is the use of grab bars. These have proven themselves to me personally, many times. Not only do they help protect our aging parents, they are great ways to save money as well. Better to spend the money on good quality grab bars for bathrooms and other areas than on hospital and medical bills from a trip and fall!

Being the unhandy type, I have always had to rely on others to install them for me. If you, however, are a do-it-yourselfer (DIY), you will appreciate Reader’s Digest’s magazine, the Family Handyman, as they have a great article online, How To Install Bathroom Grab Bars.

If you are installing these in your aging parents’ home, I would also think about other places they would be helpful. As I explained in Part 1, I replaced my towel rack with them. Too many elderly people start to slip and grab for the towel bar, only to fall harder as a result. Make sure there are toilet grab bars in each partial bathroom, as well as bathtub grab bar in each full bathroom.

In addition, the Family Handyman’s expert “recommended mounting a vertical bar beside the entry door from an attached garage. Usually there isn’t a handrail, and negotiating two or three steps with a bag of groceries under your arm is a lot easier and safer with a grab bar to hang on to.” Putting grab bars on the wall beside the bed could make it easier for your aging parents to get out of bed in the morning or in the middle of the night. Walk around the whole house with them and see if there are other places they might come in handy as well. 

Some other ideas for helping to prevent an elderly parent's nasty trip and fall, or to help if one occurs, are:

 Shower stools – These help your senior parents to bathe in the shower without standing. Plus it gives them some stability when they get up and exit the shower.

 for Elderly Parents – A medical alert device, such as an emergency pendant or watch, is usually waterproof. Your aging parents can even wear it in the shower.

Extra lights – These are vital, especially in the middle of the night. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve tripped on something in the dark. I was able to catch myself, but many of our aging parents are especially unsteady when they’ve awakened in the middle of the night. Having night lights in the bathroom, along with the hallway, the kitchen, and anywhere else they might walk, will help them to be safer. Did you know, there is even a Lighted Cane?  The light is built in.

For more great ideas, you might want to check out . You can find plenty there to give you great ideas and helps for protecting your aging parents from an unpleasant elderly trip and fall!