The aging baby boomer population – more than 78 million strong – is one of the fastest growing segments today.  And of that group, approximately 80 percent own their homes and intend to stay there.  As a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist, part of your responsibility is helping ensure these boomers can live safely and successfully in their homes. But keeping up with the overwhelming amount of home health care products on the market can be a daunting task.

To simplify this, one of the most important areas to focus is the bathroom.  In fact, when it comes to aging adults – the statistics are staggering.  The National Safety Council reports that more than 4.5 million accidents involving persons of age 65 or older occurred in the bathroom. Falls, with most taking place in the bathroom, result in 200,000 hip fractures yearly and 25 percent of all hospital admissions for people over 65.

But what products are available to reduce these astounding numbers and make bathrooms safer?  Products may include: grab bars, tub safety bars, shower seats, transfer benches, handheld showerheads, commodes, raised toilet seats, and toilet safety rails.

With this wide variety of bathroom safety product options, it should be simple to specify the necessary items to keep your clients’ homes safe. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case.

“This audience is a demanding group,” said Kevin Jones, senior product/brand manager at Home Care® by Moen®.  “Not only do they expect a quality product that will add safety and independence to their home, but they want it to look great, too.”

Moen Incorporated, an NAHBR Bronze Strategic Sponsor, conducted a recent research study though Action Based Research, LLC and identified key consumer frustrations with various bath safety products.  eatures cited most included: unattractive looks, inability to be moved easily, and a slippery surface.

“Once we noted what consumers did NOT want, we turned our focus to what features they found to be most important,” Jones explained.

Utilizing Equifax Marketing Services, Home Care by Moen surveyed homeowners to key in on one product in particular – grab bars. Why? According to Jones, “Grab bars are the most widely used bath safety item – for both prevention and recovery – and can significantly reduce the rate of unintentional falls and injuries.” 

The key features that homeowners identified as being very important included: weight capacity (69%), meets ADA standards (66%), length (65%), ease of installation (58%), diameter (55%), and finish/color (52%).

With the knowledge of consumers’ likes and dislikes, the Home Care research team next spoke with installers about their concerns. To meet safety requirements, most grab bars require at least two screws to be fastened into a stud. This can be challenging – especially since frustrated homeowners (as noted above) want these products to be placed where they want on the wall – not necessarily where the studs are located.  A faster and easier installation of grab bars was crucial – while still maintaining the assurance of a secure installation.

In addition to grab bar installation, installers agreed that design and aesthetics greatly influence consumers’ purchase decisions. 

Products Designed to Meet Consumer and Installer Demands

From this research, Home Care launched the SecureMount™ Grab Bar Installation System, consisting of SecureMount™ Anchors and SecureMount™ Grab Bars.

The D-shaped SecureMount Anchor uses principals of physics to eliminate the need to install the bar into a stud.  Simply drill a hole in the wall, install the Anchor and mount the grab bars. For an installer, this translates into a 60 percent savings of time, material, and labor costs, all while offering the peace of mind that the products were installed safely.

With weight capacity and ADA-compliance identified as key concerns, the SecureMount Grab Bar Installation System was independently tested by CSA and NAHB laboratories to exceed ADA, ASTM, ANSI, and CSA standards.  During static load testing when installed in 5/8-inch drywall with marble, the SecureMount Anchors held up to 1,500 pounds when installed – exceeding test standards.

Finally, SecureMount Grab Bars meet consumers’ demanding aesthetic and design needs, featuring a variety of decorative styles and finishes to complement any bathroom décor.  Additionally, many also feature rubber grips to eliminate the problematic “slippery surface” that consumers identified. 

“Our research consistently showed that a ‘non-institutional’ look was extremely important to homeowners,” said Jones. “In fact, about 25 percent of consumers whose doctors or therapists have recommended grab bars do not install them because of aesthetics.”

SecureMount Anchors and Grab Bars are available nationwide at Lowe’s, Menards, select retail, hardware, plumbing supply, and medical equipment suppliers. For more information on Home Care by Moen’s ADA-compliant products, visit www.moen.com, or call toll free 1-800-882-0116. [ return to top ]