Grab Bars in the Great Outdoors: Patio, Porch, and Garden Safety

Total Acceess Solutions
2 minutes ago
4 min read

Do you love spending time in your garden? Whether you enjoy sitting around a firepit on chilly evenings, whiling away warm afternoons with a cool drink, or taking a dip in your pool before dinner, it’s crucial that your garden fits your needs.

But as you age and your physical capabilities change, you may need to make garden modifications to create a safe, accessible outdoor space.

One of the simplest ways to improve garden safety is to install grab bars. But what are their main benefits, and which areas of your garden are they best suited to?

In this post, we’ll explore the advantages of installing grab bars to help you understand why they might be the ideal solution for your garden.

What are Grab Bars?

For anyone who wants to age at home (like 96% of Canadians aged 65 and older), grab bars are one of the most common and helpful accessibility solutions to install.

While grab bars are often placed in bathrooms to reduce the risk of dangerous falls, they can be set up in bedrooms, hallways, and outdoor areas as needed. They’re available in a variety of styles and materials (e.g. stainless steel and plastic), but all are generally straightforward to attach to surfaces.

Benefits of Grab Bars in Your Garden: Taking Accessibility Outside the Home

Installing grab bars in one or more spots in your garden offers the following advantages:

Enjoy Your Garden with Added Peace of Mind

When you’re spending time in your garden, either alone or with family, you want to feel safe. But mobility limitations may affect your ability to move from one area to another confidently, especially if there’s no one nearby to offer assistance. Just one fall could cause serious injuries, particularly if colliding with a hard surface or piece of furniture.

By placing grab bars around your garden, you’ll always have one or more secure handholds to rely on while wandering. Position these strategically to ensure you can reach any space, from your hot tub to your favorite seat, safely.

Create a Secure Route from Your Door to Your Garden

One of the biggest benefits of grab bars is their small size and simple installation. They can be added to almost any wall with only a little work, and they make little impact on the aesthetic of your home. This makes them an ideal solution for improving garden safety and accessibility without making extensive changes.

Using grab bars, you can create a secure and convenient route from your door to multiple areas of your garden. Here’s how:

Install one or two grab bars beside your home’s rear door. This will give you a rigid fixture to hold onto while leaving the house, which is particularly helpful on wet or windy days.
Add another grab bar along the path from the back door into the garden. If there is no wall beside the path, even a short one, you may prefer to install a ramp with a railing instead. This involves more work, but it’s particularly advantageous if you or a loved one use a wheelchair.
Position grab bars in the most commonly used areas of your garden to provide yourself with a safe handhold wherever you want to go. This will make it easier to stop and rest if necessary. Grab bars are also vital for getting into and out of seats safely: you can put your weight on a stable fixture instead of leaning on the furniture itself.

Finding the best place to install your grab bars can be difficult, especially if you have never made any accessibility modifications to your home. However, working with an experienced and reputable supplier will simplify the process. They will be able to offer advice and recommendations based on your personal safety needs.

Ideal for Improving Safety in Patio Areas

If you have a patio area in your garden, the paved surface can be dangerous to anyone in the event of a fall, regardless of age or physical capabilities. But for seniors and anyone who may be considered infirm, hitting paving slabs hard could lead to broken bones or worse.

Proper planning is crucial to maximize safety in your patio area. Add multiple grab bars around this space to hold onto while moving from your house to your seat, barbecue, or any other regularly used spots.

Improve Safety and Accessibility in Porches

Porches are always helpful to add to your home, providing you with a valuable space to take off your shoes, hang your coat, and store mail. But stepping into and out of a porch can be difficult without anything to hold onto.

This is where grab bars can make a huge difference. Simply adding a single bar inside or outside the porch will provide you with something to hold onto when coming and going. You may not need to ask a loved one or carer for help each time.

Grab bars beside your porch are especially helpful in wet and frozen conditions: if your front step and path are slick with rainwater or ice, a bar can improve safety significantly. However, please remember to always proceed with caution and ask for assistance if necessary.

Finding the Right Grab Bars for Your Home

A wide variety of grab bars are available, catering to varying physical needs and environments. You can install them in your garden, porch, patio, and other outdoor spaces to improve your own safety and that of your guests.

If you need help identifying the best ones for your property, Total Access Solutions is here to make it easier. We offer an extensive range of grab bars, along with other accessibility and barrier-free solutions, with expert advice and support. Book your free in-home or virtual consultation today!