Setting Up the Week
The Grab Bar Is a Wall Job: Decide Whether to Do It Yourself or Hire It Out Before You Drill
A grab bar only holds if it is anchored into something solid, so choose between doing it yourself and hiring it out by the wall you have, not by how handy you feel.
A grab bar is one of the few pieces of equipment where the wall decides the result. The same bar can be solid on one wall and loose on another. Before you buy anything or pick up a drill, find out what the wall is made of and what it will take.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Find out what is behind the wall
Ask what the wall is built from: wood studs, metal studs, concrete, tile over backing, or hollow drywall. Look for solid blocking, which is a piece of wood placed between studs when the house was built or remodeled. If nobody knows what is behind the wall, that unknown is the reason to hire the job out, not a reason to guess.
Do it yourself only if the wall is clear
Doing it yourself is reasonable when the wall is known, the studs or blocking are easy to find, and the manufacturer's instructions name the fasteners that fit your wall. You will need a stud finder, a level, a drill, the correct screws or anchors, and a second person to hold the bar while you mark. Do not use an anchor type the instructions do not list for your wall.
Test the hold before anyone uses it
Once the bar is up, test it with steady hand pressure in the direction it will be pulled, not by hanging your full weight on it. Have a second person stand nearby while you test. If it shifts, moves at the base, or makes a crack sound in tile, take it down and find out why before it is used.
If you hire it out, ask four things
Ask whether the installer checks for blocking before drilling, what fasteners they will use for your wall type, whether they carry liability insurance for the work, and who repairs the tile or drywall if something cracks. Get the answers in writing on the estimate. Do not compare by the lowest number alone, because the repair terms can be the expensive part.
Where to find help
If you are deciding between a family member, a neighbor, and a hired installer, the Local Help After a Discharge page lists the places to start. The full week of setup tasks is in Day 0 to Day 14 After Discharge.