Having done work done on our shower out of necessity and need advice on where to install one basic grab bar. We are in our early 60s and in good health.
It is your own home so you can customize according to your needs and abilities. You definitely will like having something to grab stepping in and out, a long bar starting low at the tub edge can also help you rise from down in the tub. I really liked the L shaped bar my father had inside the tub as it accommodated various heights and needs, whether standing in the shower or seated on a shower chair.
If you've really decided on only one bar, I think the location would depend on who uses it and for what. I.e., do either of you have mobility problems getting in and out of the tub? Need something to hold onto while lifting one leg into the shower? Standing up during a shower? Or do you have a shower seat? What about getting into the shower?
I think the ideal location for one bar would really depend on the mobility factor that's of highest concern.
If you need something to hold onto while getting in, then you might want a bar that's close to the edge of the shower. If the concern is more one of assistance while in the shower, you might want a horizontal bar along the longer side of the shower. If you stand and sit and then stand again, you might want a bar also on the longer side of the shower, but angled so that you can grasp onto it while standing and hold it as you sit down, and vice versa.
When I had bars put in for my mother when she stayed with me, I had a long horizontal one on the long side of the shower and a vertical one at right angles, to hold onto while standing. I also got a slide over seat so she could sit down and slide into the shower.
We are doing this right now for my FIL's bathroom, and will have 2 put in ours as well. I'm putting one right outside the bathtub, and one on the wall, next to the toilet. We have built in's in our bathtubs, so four all together in each bathroom. I know that this will help with my crummy knees, I'm thinking about getting raised toilet seats as well! Good luck with your construction!
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What about getting into the shower?
I think the ideal location for one bar would really depend on the mobility factor that's of highest concern.
If you need something to hold onto while getting in, then you might want a bar that's close to the edge of the shower. If the concern is more one of assistance while in the shower, you might want a horizontal bar along the longer side of the shower. If you stand and sit and then stand again, you might want a bar also on the longer side of the shower, but angled so that you can grasp onto it while standing and hold it as you sit down, and vice versa.
When I had bars put in for my mother when she stayed with me, I had a long horizontal one on the long side of the shower and a vertical one at right angles, to hold onto while standing. I also got a slide over seat so she could sit down and slide into the shower.
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