Keller Aging In Place | Handyman Services For Seniors

At the end of the day, you don’t have to vacate your home sweet home you worked so hard to afford all these years, nor do you have to downsize–simply ask for upgrades, for example, from a grab bar installation to wider doorways, stair lifts, ramps, bathtub doors and more. It’s best to be proactive and inquire about handyman services for seniors as soon as possible so you can transition smoothly into old age and aging in place. By relying on a certified, licensed, and fully insured Keller handyman, you will discover they take care of all your elderly needs with remodeling ideas to accommodate your daily eating and bathing routines. The expert and experienced team at Mr. Handyman of Keller, Roanoke, and Alliance is well-equipped with the skillset, tactics, and know-how for handyman services for seniors, with a grab bar installation being just one of our numerous areas of expertise.

Why Is It Important To Best Prepare For Your Elderly Years?

Aging in place is whereby a person has the health, social support, and services necessary to live safely and independently in their home and community. More than ever, homeowners are opting for Keller aging in place services within their homes. They participate in home renovation projects earlier on rather than being transitioned to senior care facilities. This makes sense, considering that these care facilities, although well-intentioned, are not a place you’d call home. Not only are the elderly uprooted from the warmth, familiarity, and comfort of their homes. But a nursing home enables isolation and loneliness as you have lesser contact with loved ones, including family and friends, further worsening your physical and mental wellness.

Our Knowledgeable Keller Grab Bar Installation Services

As a homeowner, if your goal for aging in place in Keller is to stay put in your humble abode for your living arrangements, Mr. Handyman wants it to be as effortless as possible for you to go about our clients’ daily lives. The wise adage is true–it’s better to be safe than sorry. Although it’s difficult to envision yourself or your loved one growing old and weary, you can make it slightly easier by getting a trained handyman to tweak loose nuts and bolts to perform a total overhaul of various parts of the house. Generally speaking, a vertical grab bar is installed on the back end, and a horizontal grab bar is installed on the side walls of the shower. Although most grab bars are pretty generic, they can be customized somewhat during a grab bar installation. Here are the grab bars available through our Keller handyman services for seniors:

Standard Versions Of Grab Bars

Although the sole purpose of a grab bar is to support those who have difficulty lowering themselves into a seated position or rising to a standing position, some types of grab grabs may be more accommodating for Keller aging in place than others based on how they are affixed. Here are some of the options we consider for a grab bar installation service:

Wall Mounted: The most basic and standard version for aging in place is mounted to the wall using screws and anchors and has two varieties of being either a vertical bar or an angled bar. Most grab bars are made of stainless steel or chrome material too. A vertical bar is mounted to a sidewall of a bathtub or shower area, allowing for extra assistance for getting into and out of the tub, shampooing, shaving, and washing without being worried about slipping and losing your balance. An angled bar is mounted on the back wall to provide the same amount of support.

Partial Wall-Mounted Grab Bar: This serves the same purpose as its wall-mounted counterpart but with a catch–it’s attached to the bathroom wall, but it only fastens on just one end instead of both sides. They operate on a hinge of sorts which is directly installed within the wall of the shower area or above the bathtub area. They are more flexible in the sense that a partial wall-mounted grab bar is extendable, giving you easier access.

Standard Types Of Grab Bars

Bathtub Mounted: This type of grab bar has clamps that can be adjusted and mount the base of the grab bar’s base snugly over the outer edge or rim of the bathtub. Generally, there are three different kinds of grab bars for your bathtub for aging in place, which are vertical, horizontal, and diagonal.

• Vertical: These are the most common places for a bathtub and allow for a stronger grip, help keep your balance and take up less wall space. They are great for those who tend to get hand cramps, especially for older persons with arthritis.
• Horizontal: These allow for the most body movement, allowing you to rotate easily in place, and are durable enough to allow you to stand, making it easier to get in and out of the tub, especially if you use a wheelchair. The only downside is that for a grab bar installation, a horizontal grab bar has to be affixed to a specific height, so there is less ability to customize. If you are susceptible to getting hand cramps and wrist pain, too, they also tend to contort your hands. Plus, they don’t provide enough leverage for all of your body weight as you move from a standing to a seated position, so that’s something to be mindful of.
• Diagonal: These are the most versatile for a grab bar installation as they are accustomed to varying height levels and allow for more flexibility in how your hand grasps the bar. And so they are easier on your wrists and are less likely to cause any strain. Plus, they allow you as an individual to face multiple directions. With a diagonal grab bar installation, you can effortlessly transition from sitting down to standing up too. But just beware, given the skewed direction of the grab bar, your hands can still slip unless they have a special groove.
• Suction: These are becoming more common for shower areas as they are easier to install compared to physically mounting the grab bar using nails, fasteners, and drilling. They serve the same purpose as a mounted grab bar installation and provide maximum stability and balance for the dependent person. Typically, they are attached to the wall using suction cups. The only downside is that they are not designed to support your full body weight, and many consider them to be temporary rather than permanent solutions for Keller aging in place and more so reserved for specific situations whilst traveling or visiting a guest. Plus, they cannot be attached to drywall but require a non-porous surface, such as a tile backsplash.
• Folding: A folding grab bar folds down and flips up when it’s not actually being used, so it’s a big space saver, especially for more tight-knit areas near the bathroom sink and toilet, and they are a great option, especially for smaller washrooms. This type of grab bar is ideal near your toilet as its streamlined shape provides extra support compared to just the conventional and standard grab bar for aging in place, especially if you are being transported from a wheelchair to the toilet.
• Free Standing: a free-standing grab bar is a floor-to-ceiling physical rod that is usually located beside the tub or shower to help with entering and exiting. There are also special varieties available for your toilet, as the enclosure sits around you, and the toilet encapsulates the space to help with sitting down and standing up.