DME Spotlight

Ever have the thought of what if I am unable to safely shower? Although very few people do, the assumption is probably not. In reality we don’t think of safety features when we build a home, purchase a home, or renovate our outdated bathrooms. After all we purchased, renovated, or built our homes during different seasons of our lives. A season that may not have required such safety features. But these features are not just features they can be critical components to allowing us to shower, bathe, or even toilet safety in the home. It can be a determining factor to being able to age in place and remain in our homes.

The CDC published that approximately one out of every five falls causes a major injury such as broken bones or head injury each year. In addition, approximately “Three million older people are treated in the ER” annually for fall injuries! That is quite the statistic. Adding grab bars inside or outside the shower or tub can assist in preventing the risk of falls, the key is ensuring they are installed properly. Whether you opt for a suction cup grab bar or permanent fixture installed in the home ensuring you are installed appropriately is the key to success when working with grab bars.

How do you know if you have the right equipment for your needs to prevent a fall to the best of our human abilities? Well, If you are installing grab bars on your own or having a family member install them ensuring that grab bars are level, at the correct height, angle and also are the right type of grab bar is critical as well as being installed appropriately into studs are key components to installation. All of these intricates can pose quite a bit of worry in these instances, as a community we are fortunate that we also have resources that can ensure that our grab bars are installed appropriately. Companies such as Install Don’t Fall can ensure that with their licensing grab bars are installed appropriately, at the right height, right angle and right type!

Understanding the types of grab bars and handles is key, why not unlock the key to success whether working with your preferred specialist or by having our local specialists come out to your home for an evaluation understanding individual needs and knowing the business is a knowledge base that not everyone possesses. We are thankful to our community experts for their experiences and knowledge!

Disclaimer – Aging Times Magazine does not install grab bars, we can only provide information for educational community resources. For more information on Fall Statistics please visit our reference at https://www. cdc.gov/falls/facts.html.