If people lived to the most advanced age and remained healthy, the whole human society would not need to develop and introduce a number of assistive devices that make life easier for patients with impaired musculoskeletal system. Perhaps the simplest, but this does not become less important is such a device as handrails for the disabled.
Why do we need handrails?
Typically, handrails that help people with reduced mobility are structural elements of the fence, which are equipped with stairs and inclined ramps that are used to support during the descent or ascent. All self-respecting European countries consider it their duty, even during the design and construction of civil or industrial buildings, to take care of the availability of such aids for people with disabilities. Equipping houses and offices with handrails makes it clear that the owner of the building or his tenant cares about convenience for all his clients, without exception. Transport infrastructure facilities also need to be designed taking into account the fact that people with reduced mobility will use them.
Places of mandatory installation of handrails
A building is considered to comply with all European standards if it is accompanied by wall handrails for the disabled along the entire route of a person with reduced mobility, allowing him to do without outside help. Be sure to be equipped with such structural elements of stairs and ramps. In this case, it is desirable to install fences at two heights: 70 cm for wheelchair users, 90 cm for accompanying people and all other people. If possible, these aids should be provided to all frequently visited places of the home. The ideal option is when a disabled person with the help of handrails can safely move around the house even in complete darkness.
Security guarantees
Handrails for disabled people will be fully safe and convenient only if the installation work is carried out by a professional with many years of experience in this field. Only such a person can properly navigate the variety of handrail models offered to consumers and choose the most suitable option for each specific client. Indeed, in the selection process, several important factors must be taken into account at the same time: the installation location, the area of the room and the individual characteristics of the user - a person can be tall or short, thin or full, move independently or in a wheelchair. For a layman, combining all of these parameters can be quite difficult.
In addition, today consumers are offered two varieties of handrails:
1. Equipped with a complete set of fasteners. They have the advantage that they can be fixed in any desired place, because the fastening is suitable for walls made of various materials.
2. Without fasteners. They are in less demand, because you will have to choose the mount yourself. But the cost of such handrails is lower.
Only a specialist can competently evaluate all the pros and cons and give preference to one or another option that will provide comfort and convenience in each case.
Possible options for disabled handrails for bathrooms
Mandatory handrails in the home of a disabled person should be equipped with a bathroom. Sending natural needs is an intimate process, and a person with limited motor functions will feel much more comfortable if he can visit the toilet on his own, without any help.
Depending on the area of the bathroom and the physical capabilities of the patient, handrails for the disabled can be installed in the toilet stationary or folding. The first, as a rule, can be mounted in rooms with a sufficiently large area. Usually for a comfortable and convenient arrangement of a toilet for a disabled person, 3-4 handrails may be required at different points in the room.
Folding handrail for the disabled is installed in the bathrooms of a small area, so as not to severely limit the already very small space.
Toilet bowl for the disabled
To improve the quality of life of people with limited motor functions, the modern plumbing market can offer a whole range of devices. It can be nozzles on the toilet with or without handrails. If a person’s condition is such that he cannot be moved to the toilet room, it is possible to purchase a toilet chair. The preference for the first or second option should be based on an analysis of the physical condition of the disabled person, his age, the capabilities of those who care for him, the size of the bathroom, his technical capabilities. In one case, acquiring a nozzle may be enough, and sometimes you can’t do without a toilet chair.
Basic toilet requirements for a disabled person
A toilet for people with disabilities with handrails allows you to increase the height of the seat and must have certain characteristics:
1. Strength (the ability to withstand weight up to 136 kg).
2. Hygiene (devices in this direction should be easily cleaned with water, soap or powder).
3. Inertness to water.
4. Mobility (light weight, the ability to disassemble and transport if necessary).
5. Stability (impossibility of sliding, reliable fastening).
6. Versatility (can be placed on standard plumbing of any shape).
7. The nozzle with handrails is designed taking into account all the rules of ergonomics.
Key regulatory documents
The design of such elements as handrails for the disabled, their installation are regulated by two regulatory documents: GOST R51261-99 and SNiP 35-01-2001. In these documents, all the necessary parameters of the handrails are specified in detail (shape, size, design, materials allowed for the manufacture of handrails). Compliance with all requirements will make it safe and comfortable for disabled people to use ramps and public toilets. The owners of the buildings will fully protect themselves from punishment for violating the law "On the social protection of persons with disabilities in the Russian Federation."
GOST and SNiP requirements for handrails for the disabled
The shape of the handrails for people with disabilities should not only be dictated by aesthetic considerations. Convenience and safety during operation should also be considered. GOST handrails for the disabled can be made from rolled pipe. The cross section of the pipe can be round, square or rectangular. The handrail should end with a curved bend, hemisphere or flat plug. The fundamental rule is the ability to comfortably wrap your hand around the item.
The standard height of handrails for disabled people is in the range from 70 cm to 1 m. If we are talking about stairs and ramps, then the distance between the handrails should be at least 1 m so that the wheelchair moves without any difficulties and inconveniences. For production, a pipe of rectangular or circular cross section is used. Rectangular steel should be 25-30 mm in size, while in a round, the diameter of handrails for the disabled should be in the range of 30-50 mm. If possible, these elements should protrude 30 cm beyond the first and last steps of the stairs so that a person has the opportunity to stand on a flat surface, without losing support.
For visually impaired people, the handrails should be marked at the beginning and at the end with a contrasting color (usually white or yellow). Fencing should have a high degree of fire resistance. In order for disabled children to safely move around the ramp, the installation of guardrails at a height of 50 cm is provided.
Materials for the manufacture of handrails
Of the materials suitable for the manufacture of wheelchairs, stainless steel is preferred. Enclosing steel structures are durable, have a long service life and are inert to regular hygienic treatment. Aggressive detergents, with the help of which daily disinfection is carried out in public bathrooms, will not cause noticeable harm to steel handrails. In addition, stainless steel has been used successfully both indoors and outdoors.
Handrails for disabled people are just a fraction of what a healthy society can do for people with limited musculoskeletal functions who live nearby. The presence of such auxiliary structures will inspire confidence in one's own strengths and capabilities in a person deprived of nature.