My husband has difficulty getting up from toilet. He grabs the towel bar to get up but it is quite a reach from the toilet. Installing a grab bar there would help but the distance to it is still an issue. I fear one day he may fall if he cannot grab on to something. Any suggestions?
We got a bench with a hole in the middle that fit right over the toilet. It had sturdy handles on either side. We also got a raised toilet, which are available at Lowe’s.
If you go to any mobility or disability shop online, you'll get a good idea of all the different types available. Even if space is limited or the floor is tiled or the loo is a dolphin sculpture, there will be one that fits. Best of luck!
P.S. make sure it's easy to clean or you'll end up hating it.
If your bath layout doesn't include a side wall for installing a grab bar or the wall is on your LO's weaker side, there are still some workable grab bar options out there. There's one that mounts to the wall behind the toilet and folds up against the wall when not in use that's very workable in just about any bath configuration. Because it has no feet extending to the floor, it doesn't block access to swing legs over a bathtub when using a transfer bench; neither does it impede floor cleaning efforts. Because the wall is carrying the full load, it needs to be installed using long wood screws by someone who knows how to hit the wall studs dead center. You may even need the wall opened up and extra structural studs installed horizontally so you can place the grab bar exactly where you need it. A quicker and less expensive procedure is to place horizontal studs over the existing wall; using some type of stain or paint before installation gives a fairly nice finished look even when the studs will be visible. One local volunteer fire department has become so good at the over the wall installation method they can install the grab bars in less than 30 minutes (arriving with precut and drilled painted horizontal studs).
There are also grab bars that attach to the wall behind the toilet and to the floor beside that are very effective if your bath has enough room available.
As a quick fix, my family once used metal strapping to "tie down" a bedside commode frame to the wall behind the toilet. It didn't look pretty and we had to use electrical tape to wrap the sharp edges on the metal strapping, but it did prevent the commode frame from tipping until we could order and install the grab bars. My depression era father always said anyone could fix it if they had all the right tools and all the right parts; real skill was being able to fix it with what you had.
ALSO, if you have recently moved to a home that has safety equipment installed, have a qualified handyman/installer check to make SURE that the safety equipment has been properly installed, and not just screwed into a wall that may be sheet rock or other materials that cannot support full body weight.
I learned this lesson the hard way, and luckily was not hurt myself, but would not want anyone else to have a more serious experience with equipment I tended to help.
Nothing but a screwdriver is needed to install this and it can be put on and removed very easily.
I think I got it at Menard's a Midwest Big Box hardware type store.
I also used a walker, placed backwards over /up against the toilet until I purchased this frame (I wish I knew what the name of it was!)
Depending on how far the distance is that your husband has to grab..I placed a grab bar on a wall and it also was a bit far so I had the guy that was doing it place a piece of 2X4 into the stud first then put on the grab bar into the 2X4. We did have to use hardware other than what came with the grab bar but it worked and is very sturdy
I've been told that a bedside commode frame will also work but I had the surround from my dad and my DH used it for 3 years.
www.healthproductsforyou.com/p-homecraft-adjustable-bariatric-toilet-surround-frame.html
My sisters had bought my mom one of these risers as she had trouble sitting and rising from the standard toilet seat. The taller height made it easier for her to sit or stand.
When I arrived to care for Mom, the house reeked of urine. Sisters said the toilet was leaking. The floor was crusted with dried urine. (So, why didn't they get it fixed!?) Long story short, when trying to figure out the problem, I realized Mom was short, less than five feet tall, and she could only sit on the edge of the riser. She couldn't get her bottom fully on the riser. She'd pee on the riser edge, and the fluid flowed to the floor. With her dementia she couldn't realize it herself.
I tossed the riser and installed a rail around the toilet--the commode railing mentioned below--so she could sit and rise easily and get her bottom on the toilet. Took me hours to clean and sanitize the floor and clean the carpet because poor Mom would step in the urine, tracking it throughout the house.
Carex Toilet Safety Rails at Amazon.
I did ADA structural accommodations for years. Sometimes a curved L shape in reverse or on long edge is best. Or a longer bar at about 35-45° angle. This way, he can reach it sitting, and right height as he stands. Did this in shower/tub, working with OT for exact placement.
The problem with towel rods is they are designed for weight of a wet towel, not an adult pulling themselves up. They work.. till they don't...then you can have serious injury.
If none of these work, there are toilet seat lifter seats much like what you would find for a chair. They will literally push a person up and off the toilet.