Grab bars and small safety fixes for an aging parent’s home

If a parent or grandparent wants to stay in their own home, a handful of small changes can make it safer. None of them is a remodel, and most take an hour or two. Here is where to start.

Grab bars where people actually reach

The two places that matter most are beside the toilet and at the tub or shower: one bar where you step in, and one along the long wall. Towel bars are not grab bars. They are held by small screws and anchors and are not made to take a person’s weight. A real grab bar is anchored into studs, or into anchors rated for grab bars where there is no stud, and it should not move at all when you pull on it.

Tile is not a problem

Grab bars go through tile all the time. It takes the right drill bit and some patience to avoid cracking it, and a bead of clear sealant around each screw keeps water out of the wall. For a one-piece fiberglass tub surround there are other options, including bars that clamp to the edge of the tub. Send a photo and we’ll tell you which fits.

Lever handles instead of knobs

Round knobs are hard to turn with arthritis or wet hands. Swapping them for lever handles on the interior doors your parent uses most is quick and inexpensive. (We fit passage levers, the kind without a lock; we don’t change or re-key locks.)

Light the path at night

Plug-in night-lights along the way from the bed to the bathroom are cheap and effective, and motion-sensing models come on only when someone gets up. New hardwired lights or switches are electrical work and need a licensed electrician.

Handrails on every step

Two steps down into a sunken living room, or three at the front door, are easy to misjudge. A sturdy handrail anchored into the framing or the concrete gives a hand something solid to hold. On entry steps, non-slip strips help when the concrete is dusty or wet.

Trip hazards and thresholds

Loose throw rugs, curling carpet edges and cords across walkways are the easy ones: remove or tack down the rugs, secure lifted carpet edges at doorways, and run cords along the walls. A raised threshold at a doorway or sliding door can catch a foot or a walker, and a small threshold ramp smooths it out without changing the door.

When it’s more than a small fix

Walk-in tubs, curbless showers, wider doorways and new wiring are remodels or licensed work. If that’s what the house needs, we’ll say so the same day and point you to a licensed contractor. For the small fixes above, send a few photos of the bathroom and the steps, and we’ll send a fixed price, usually the same day.