Handicap toilets, with raised toilet seats, toilet transfer benches and accessible grab bars, improve the quality of life for the elderly, post surgical patients and the disabled. These raised handicap toilets for the handicapped allow them to live individually in their homes or retirement communities.
Handicap Toilet Seats For Easier Sitting and Standing
Handicap accessible toilets can be raised to meet your handicapped needs especially for wheelchair transfer and ease of sitting and standing. Understanding the different parts and properties that make up a perfect toilet environment for the handicapped is important. Some people need to sit on a higher toilet because the lower ones would make toilets virtually impossible to use. They have trouble standing up from a low toilet seat and are unable to bend their knees and hips to those angles. Most raised toilet seats can be easily installed and ready to use in less than 10 minutes. They are great for anyone who recently had hip replacement surgery and was told to limit hip and knee movements at certain angles. Elevated toilet seats are also quite inexpensive and so any household could install one in every bathroom without taking a dent in their wallets. They are also portable toilet seats that the handicapped can take with them to install in hotel rooms and other standard fitting toilets.
Toilet Transfer Benches
Wheelchair transfers are aided by transfer benches and boards that create a bridge from your wheelchair to your toilet. These toilets are perfect for wheelchair patients and those need a larger platform to sit. The transfer benches are especially important for anyone with limited upper body strength on wheelchairs. Instead of lifting their bodies to transfer to the toilet, they can slide their body across the board. There are also toilet transfer benches where people can lift and lower the bench onto the toilet bowl.
Recommended Toilet Transfer Benches
Buying toilet transfer benches should not be too complicated. Get one that fits the space of your bathroom and toilet. Standard toilet seat heights are 14 to 15 inches off of a floor. Here are two recommended toilet transfer benches with various benefits.
Toilet to Tub Sliding Transfer Bench
This toilet seat has a height of 19.5 to 24 inches. Supports weights of 350lbs.
Toilet Transfer Bench with Commode Opening
This toilet transfer bench has seat heights that can be adjusted from 17.75 inches to 21.75 inches. Supports weights of 400lbs.
Check out more of elevated toilet seats, shower transfer benches and handicap commodes.
ADA Handicap Toilet Placement
The ADA requirements for the toilet location require the toilet be positioned with a wall or partition to the rear and to one side. The center of the toilet must be between 16 to 18 inches from either wall for wheelchair accessible bathrooms and for ambulatory rooms should be between 17 and 19 inches. These requirements should be met for a right or left handed approach to the transfer.
The toilet room should have enough clearance of 60 inches minimum measured perpendicular from the side wall and 56 inches minimum measured perpendicular from the rear wall.
You should consult an ADA guide manual for more detailed information that pertains to your needs. This information is only a short primer into toilet codes and may be inaccurate depending on your company or residential requirements.
ADA Accessible Toilet Grab Bars and Rails
Toilet grab bars can you get on and off the toilet and provide stability and support. For anyone who has had trouble getting off a low toilet seat, a well placed grab bar is fundamental. Grab bars are used throughout the bathroom, like in the shower, with shower grab bars and around hallways. ADA toilet grab bar placement requirements for toilets are as follows,
- Toilet grab bars should be placed between 33 to 36 inches off the ground.
- The side wall grab bar should be 42 inches long minimum and not located more than 12 inches from the rear wall and extending 54 inches minimum from the rear wall.
- The rear wall grab bar shall be 36 inches long minimum and extend from the center-line of the toilet 12 inches minimum on one side and 24 inches minimum on the other side.
- When buying toilet grab bars or handicap toilets, be sure to take these measurements into consideration if you need to meet the ADA requirements.
Handicap Bidets and Safety Rails
Toilet safety rails or handicap rails for toilets also provide a similar amount of support, however, they are mounted on the sides of the toilet and act like a handrest for a toilet.
Additional options for handicap toilets include adding a handicap bidet to wash the backside. Some people are unable to reach that area with toilet paper or have trouble wiping.
- Fresh Water Bidet Spray – Fits between the toilet seat and rim of most standard and elongated toilets. This water pressure adjustable mechanical bidet requires no electricity.
- Buy Toilet Attachment Water Spray Bidets
Bidets squirt a jet of water into the genital or anal (butt) regions. Cleansing the area with water will reduce any possible bladder or vaginal infections.