The life of persons with disabilities is full of difficulties. Sometimes, they find it hard to just visit the bathroom. Fortunately, the manufacturers of plumbing and accessories think about these people and offer the handrails for disabled people that significantly facilitate their lives. Such products are useful not only for the persons with disabilities who find it difficult to sit down and stand up because of joint diseases. Specialized equipment is installed not only in the home bathrooms, but also in many public places, including cafeterias, restaurants, hotels, large shopping centers, railway stations, etc. People often use folding option, which is comfortable for disabled persons and doesn’t take much space.

What should be the railings?

Unfortunately, a lot of people think that by fixing the decorative tube, they can provide comfort to disable persons. But that’s not true.

There is a number of requirements for such constructions:

  • handrails must be fixed firmly, which is provided during installation;
  • the devices must be made of strong materials to easily withstand the weight of a person;
  • handrails should be equipped with bends that increase the convenience of operation;
  • handrails must be fixed securely so that they don’t fall off and damage the wall in the use. Otherwise, they can be dangerous for the person with disabilities.

Types of handrails: what to choose?

Considering the needs of the customer and the area of the bathroom, the manufacturer offers two options – common and folding.

  • Common wall-mounted handrails (also called “stationary”) should be installed in the bathroom with a large area. The product is characterized by high strength. You need 3-4 handrails to equip one bathroom (next to the sink, bath and toilet).
  • Folding is a popular type of handrails for the small bathrooms of apartment houses and dormitories. The area of these premises is often substantially limited. For economy, you should use folding option.

Apart from functionality, you shouldn’t forget about the appearance of the room. In a bathroom, the person should feel comfortable, cozy and safe. Therefore, you should choose the handrails taking into account the premise interior. For example, you can choose the devices that go well with the style of sink. A wide assortment allows you to buy the handrails in the option and configuration, necessary for a certain bathroom.

Features and equipment of handrails

Supporting aids are often used to safeguard stairs and ramps. However, they are also used in the toilet, helping the disabled persons to facilitate the process of sitting on the toilet and standing next to the sink.
Such supports are made of stainless steel or profile of a special form. The height of their installation is from 70 cm to 1 m.
Most often, the set consists of fasteners, required for the installation and the handrails. But there are cases when you have to buy additional details that increase the strength of fasteners and provide maximum load capacity.

Standard set of handrails consists of:

  • brackets (universal, angular and models in the form of ball or cup);
  • tees, taps, hinges and crosses of different types;
  • racks with special fixings;
  • plugs;
  • different fasteners (bolts, dowels, flanges, etc.)

Handrails for the persons with disabilities must be chosen taking into account the dimensions of the room, place of installation and individual features of the person’s health. A person with no experience will find it very difficult to make a right choice; therefore, you should confide to the professionals.

Why do the persons with disabilities need special handrails?

In most cases, the builders don’t even think that perhaps the disabled person will live in this house. Such nuances are not included in the building project, which is why many apartment buildings don’t have ramps. In standard apartments, the disabled person finds it very difficult to get to the sink in the bathroom or to the bed in their room. European standards provide special handrails, which help disabled persons to get to the necessary place without help. This is a very important psychological moment: the disabled person will find it good to know that he/she can manage his/her affairs on his/her own. All you need to do is to install the special wall-mounted handrail.

Correct installation is extremely important. To make sure that the products are safe and reliable, you should entrust their installation to the professionals who have deep experience in mounting such structures and who can tell you what type of handrail is better for one or another person.

Features of installation of the handrails

In the house where the disabled persons live, the toilet must be equipped with special devices. Be especially careful during the installation, which consists of several stages:

  • Firstly, you should check the set of railings. If any details are missing, contact the seller.
  • If everything’s okay, start the second stage: the choice of place, where the folding or stationary wall-mounted handrail will be located. You also need to make a plan and make the drawings.
  • Next stage, without which the installation is impossible, is drilling holes in the walls. Their depth and width depend directly on the features of mounting, specified in the instructions.
  • Final stage is the installation of handrails. Fix the holders into the holes, mount the other details, assemble the racks and install the plugs.

It is important to determine the correct distance between the handrails and the plumbing so that the person can use them comfortably. This is often neglected by the people who install the handrails in the bathrooms “for a tick”. As a result, person with a disability can’t visit the bathroom comfortably and even get to the sink.

Different options for using the handrails

It is noteworthy that the handrails, installed in the bathroom (next to the sink or bathroom) can be used in other accommodations as well. In particular, wall option is used for safe movement along the corridors. Wall-mounted option is mounted near the bed, which facilitates the process of rising and going to bed. Wall railings are also equipped near the ramps in the entrance. Stair handrails are installed in the same way as the bathroom options.

Have you seen or done something similar? Share your experience in the comments!