Grab rail and handrails

One of the easiest and most effective ways of making any room safer for someone who is unstable on their feet is to add hand rails.

Handrails come under a range of different names from grab rails to bars, but what they all have in common is that they offer something that can be held on to for extra security or balance.

You can hold a grab rail if you want to use it as a guide, or if you suddenly feel uncertain on your feet and you want to grasp hold of something. These rails have a tubular design that makes them easy to hold on to, even for those with a weak grip, and they can be oriented horizontally or vertically.

Fixing and design

Handrails need to be mechanically fixed to a wall in order for them to be strong and secure. This usually requires drilling, plugging and screwing.

Most handrails are made from steel, however they often have a plastic coating which protects them from moisture and makes them more tactile and easy to grip.

Different rails come in different lengths and shapes. You can get a simple straight one yard or one metre long tubular rail with fixings at both ends, or you can get an angled rail that turns through ninety degrees or that bends around a corner. You can also get coloured rails and rails with and easy grip texture.

Equally, you can get rails that project outwards from a wall and that allows someone to support themselves when lowering their body down, e.g. down to a toilet.

Handrail applications

There are many different applications for handrails and grab rails. Popular and very effective positions for them are at thresholds and entrances to building and rooms. They are particularly useful if there is a step and a doorway at an entrance. When this is the case the rail can be angles to match the inclination of the steps.

Stairs need to have handrails by law, however additional rails in a hall at the lead up to a stair, or on a landing, can be very helpful.

Bathrooms are one of the biggest areas of handrail application. The bathroom has utilities that require bending, lowering, sitting and standing, and rails can be used for stability or as something to push up against or lower oneself down against. Rails in or around a shower, to the sides of a toilet, and projecting out from one or both sides of a wash basin can be very useful. Rails can also be added around and to the sides of a bath tub. Because bathrooms typically have a tiled floor and use water they offer a potentially greater slip hazard than the other rooms in a home.

Within the kitchen grab rails can be useful. Important and potentially dangerous utilities like gas hobs and ovens often require the person using them to hold an appliance with one hand. When this is the case a suitably placed rail or handle can be held with the other hand, thereby helping balance and confidence.

Ultimately there is very little in the way of practical limitation to the use of rails and handles. They can be placed anywhere where their presence will benefit someone and they are comparatively cheap to buy and install. They can be removed as quickly and as easily as they are installed and the different profiles that are available mean that you can find a handrail or grab rail for any situation.