Hi folks. Completely off topic but wondered if anyone needed to have a bath rail installed in order to use the bath? Am having one installed this week and am not sure whether to have it diagonal or horizontal? It's to enable me to stand up when I have used the bath rather than shower. Any help gratefully received. Hope you're all having a good weekend.
Hi folks - just to send my thanks to all who have responded. I found the replies very helpful and interesting, if only to realise how luck I am, at the moment! Not that I'm superstitious.
Huge thanks to all and have a good and pain free, if possible, week.
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I don’t really need one but I have one of those ones with big rubber suckers handgrips beside our bath.
I bought it when my husband got a new hip. In the end we changed the towel rail in the tiny downstairs shower room for a proper solid hand rail and the shower room is so small that he always used that. So that one is horizontal.
I don’t trust the rubber sucker one that I have upstairs in the bath at all. For a start it falls off every now and again, so it is as well that I don’t really need it. I only touch it lightly if I’m washing my legs in the shower so I’m always standing up.
The last time it fell off I just stuck it onto the wall horizontally and found that absolutely useless - difficult to get a good grip of - so it’s back to being vertical but I still wouldn’t rely on it)
Used to have a bath with built in handgrips though and they were good for hauling myself up.
Thanks Fruitandnutcase. Love the name. Were the built in hand grips horizontal? The one that is being fitted is solid just not part of the bath, will be above the bath and fixed to wall. Thank you.
I have one of those that stick to the wall. Mine falls off occasionally too! Mine has a tag on it that specifically says not to use with all your weight but as an assist only. It helped when I just needed to step over the tub. Now I need a walk-in shower with a seat and a built in bar to assist.
Hi. My bath has two small ones on the bath itself; hand-sized in the middle/ I also use the taps for leverage (front).
I have thought of getting another just a bit higher up. Maybe a ladder shaped one? So you have different heights? That for me would seem to be best.
I also have a stool to help me get into the shower (over bath shower). I rarely have baths because of the ‘having to get out’ issue …
I think it’s personal preference really, what you’d find more helpful. Diagonal would give you more options on pulling yourself up depending where you put your hand on the rail or you can get rails that have both options.
Photo of a bath grab rail with horizontal and diagonal rail in one.
As fruitandnutcase says, don’t get one of those rubber grip suction stick handrails -they’re no good and positively lethal if they suddenly detach from the wall which happened to me! Luckily didn’t do me any damage as I’d only just caught hold of it and had put no weight or pressure on it when the suction released. Wasn’t cheap either. Suddenly discovered a whole new set of swear words for that !*@*# The only way is fixed with fixings!
Thank you Amnesiac3637. No intention of having the rubber grip suction. Had experience of those in the past. 😂 No RA back then. Makes all the difference.
Yes, I agree with you there Amnesiac.. the suction ones are DANGEROUS !! I had a suction one and it came off suddenly with no warning. I fell forwards banging my head on tiles but managed to not fall over completely, luckily. It was a shock to my system. Please get a proper one screwed into the wall. I find 45 degree angle best for me, hope that helps.
Oh dear, that's awful. It should be against the law to sell products for disabled people that aren't safe . It's not on, for example I bought those plastic plug tugs to help me, and put them around the house. But then I read on here that they were unsafe, because they lift the plug slightly off the connection to the socket and had caused fires. I should send both of these faulty products back for a refund, but it's been so long since I bought them they probably wouldn't accept them. Very frustrating 😞
I think I'd need a pully system, like the ones used to life bails of wool up into factory lofts!!
But then it would need to be on a track too, to move me across the room, as I'm suspended in the air.
While the whole process of being hoisted up and dangling around might take some time (and could well induce trama), it would be good to have a soothing music system running too, playing "Up, up and away", just to take my mind off being so useless with RA!!
It is, thank you Flinda. Brought a smile to my face thinking about the music and being on a pulley! Also reminded me that I'm lucky with my RA at the moment. Take care and do keep your sense of humour. We'd be lost without it. x
I used to have two short ones and ones on the bath before I changed to a walk in shower I now have one large towel rail size , it works for me and I can hang the none slipmat on there to dry.Hope that helps. Every bathroom is different.
I gave up with the Bath and now only use a walk in shower. I used to have a Bath seat, horizontal rails built into the Bath and a diagonal sloping rail screwed into the wall. Now can’t manage even with these aids.
I had to have a bath seat, because I just didn't have the strength in my arms to get that vertical pull up. I had a bath seat first but didn't feel stable enough to me, so had a strip attached to the floor that pulled out from the side of the bath. Expensive but worth it. I now have a walk in bath which is much easier and was one of the reasons why I moved to this house.
Yes... get a bath board, with some rails in different places - so make sure you do a dry run to see where they are best to be put for YOU... so helpful... and also make sure the rail is fitted to a strong piece in the wall... ie a batten. It will wonderful once you have it.. Once it is too difficult to raise legs over bath due to hip and knee pain and all that issues, time to think about changing it to a flat to the floor shower (wet room).. and you can have a shower chair or a seat on the wall and lots of grab rails.. You can ask Social Care to assess you for all this in most areas.. much cheaper too! All the best and enjoy your newly safe showering! D
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