When is a grab rail not a grab rail

An advice blog for housing and healthcare professionals by Kate Sheehan, Occupational Therapist

During a recent visit to a client, we discussed grab rails, including their design, colour and texture, she made a particularly clear and insightful observation:

“I do not want anything white, ‘council swimming pool’ blue, yellow, plastic, cold metal or fluted. I want style, I want colour and I need a rail that integrates into my bathroom seamlessly, a rail that doesn’t look like a grabrail.”

At Adaptation Design we work from a client centred approach and a request like this makes us review the market and provide options for our client to choose from. Often it is our clients who have found a particular product they like and ask our opinion on its function, design, manufacture and availability.

The grab rail market has slowly changed over the last few years with more thought going into their design and more importantly how they can be used for multiple functions. We have found a significant number of products that are dual purpose, a grab rail that integrates a soap dish within its design (Hewi), a toilet roll holder that doubles as a grab rail (Keuco), a shower riser bar that is also a grab rail (Triton), a mirror with a shelf that is also a grab rail (Invisible Creations). These products have often been designed with customers as part of the design team, making sure style is an integral part of the final product.  What is interesting is companies within the mainstream market now showcasing their own accessible ranges and just recently IKEA has entered the market with their BASINGEN range.

As a team, we need to make sure we adhere to regulations and standards where necessary and appropriate, with regards grab rails Building Regulations (Approved Document M) states that the diameter should be between 30mm to 500mm. The most common diameter is 32mm.

Standards are an excellent resource as a starting point. However, we know that everyone is different and when working with a child, we may wish to choose a different diameter rail for them in the early part of their lives to make sure they can hold onto it successfully and take into account their personal grip and hand dexterity requirements.

The key to the use of all these rails, whether they have a single or dual purpose .is the fitting of them in the home. Walls must be built to take the load required and the right fixtures are fitted in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines. Without this attention to detail a rail could come loose in the middle of a transfer and cause injury or create a psychological fear of using equipment which could impact significantly on someone’s quality of life and engagement in activities.

A grab rail is not always simply a grab rail. Its value lies in it being multi-functional use, while grab rails are certainly products that may be required by the client for reasons such as safety or accessibility, they can also be products that are genuinely desired and chosen by the client to meet more than one need. Adaptation Design embraces the challenge of finding products that meet our clients’ functional needs while reflecting their individual style, because accessibility should enhance a home, not define it.

For more detailed advice, feel free to contact Adaption Design on 020 8492 1617 or email info@adaptationdesign.co.uk

Picture credit: Gainsborough Healthcare Group