I don't see how a grab bar on the front of the pony wall helps: ) and do NOT mount a grab on the side of a vanity cabinet.

Grab bar on the left of toilet and tp only on the cabinet. I don't even like that, if you must know.

You need a grab bar inside shower at entry/exit point of shower, along with any under the window

Hi @JAN MOYER, thank you I value your insight. I was thinking to have a grab bars throughout the space so everything matches, vs having some grab bars and some towel bars. Does that change anything for you?

This is the product I'm thinking of for the TP holder. Would you still not mount it on the cabinet? https://www.deltafaucet.com/bathroom/product/41350-SS.html

(all my fixtures are Delta Cassidy and the traditional grab bars which match. The other TP holder option is this one. If I have it hidden on the side of the cabinet, which would be nice, the arm faces the wrong way I think. https://www.deltafaucet.com/bathroom/product/79750-SS.html)

When you say "I don't even like that", what do you mean exactly? And I agree about ideally having a bar inside the entrance, but I don't see how I can do it.

One 36" bar centered under the window or two 24"?

You do not want to tear the side of the cabinet: ) That needs to mount to a sturdier structure.

You are perhaps a bit overly cautious. ADA is different than just normal aging.

If you are that unstable in old age? Trust me......you will be looking for alternate living that would accommodate a host of OTHER issues...or in home assistance, and we won't go there unless you tell me you are filthy rich and can afford a manager, to manage the help!

The idea that you will go feet first in a box out of any house is far more UNlikely than anyone wants to believe. Just believe me on this, and you bet I am a witness - more times than I can count between my own parents and the parents of many, many clients/peers. A little planning for the worst, hope for the best and the rest is a whole lot of luck and DNA combined with prayer.: )

Many people need grab bars before you hit a stage of needing full time care. You don't need them everywhere, but they are good to have where needed.

Usually when you need assistance with getting up from the toilet (like after surgery) having raised toilet seat and safety bars that give you two arms beside the toilet are better than a grab bar on the wall and can easily be added/removed as needed.

A single bar as you enter the shower and one on the back wall that can be used to assist in standing after you have been seated on the shower bench should be enough. Moen has grab bars that have an integrated soap/shampoo tray, so they don't look so much like grab bars.

I don't see a need for a grab bar outside of the shower on the pony wall. If you were a bit off balance in that area you would probably steady yourself by leaning on the vanity countertop.

Think about the times people loose their balance or need a bit of extra assistance. The most common issue is getting up and down. Vertigo or just lack of strength to get up and down cause the need for assistance. Standing for some time in the shower, needing to bend down to wash legs and feet or reach different ways may cause a bit of imbalance and a grab bar helps provide stability.

I don't think it's a problem to mix real towel bars with grab bars. That's not uncommon. You don't need to install the grab bars now if you don't need them. Take a picture (and note measurements) of the framing of the shower before it's covered with tile so you know where the studs are for future reference. Make sure studs are strategically located for future use. Grab bars aren't lovely, but of course very practical and necessary for some people. My stepmother who is turning 90 this year still lives alone with the assistance of one grab bar in her small shower. But as Jan says, there is a lot of luck and unpredictability behind whether you can age in place. You could be out after one fall. I'm always waiting for the phone call to find out she needs to move ASAP.

For the window wall of the shower I would install the longest grab bar you can get , centered in the space, so for 81", a 60" might not be bad.

There ARE good looking grab bars. The point is aging is , more than grab bars. A 20 year old can land on concrete , unscathed. A ninety year old can land on foam, and it's over: )

Keep your stairs as long as you can and keep climbing, don't give in to muscle loss in aging (and weight training/balance/yoga ) of all sorts helps tremendously. Instead of giving in to it, spend more time and energy on preventing many of the avoidable issues assumed to be inevitable.,,,,,,,,and yup, add prayer: ) !

Consider this…add blocking for grab bars behind the tile in your shower and other locations. Take a photo of the blocking before you install drywall, backer board, etc. Wherever you determine you might need grab bars. Then, later…as needed…add them. You will know where the blocking is located. I, for one, would want the controls for the shower to be located on the pony wall so that if I had balance issues, I could control the water flow from outside the shower while holding on to a bar there. Consider the “reach” of someone from location to location. Just my two cents. But I echo JAN MOYER. There is wisdom in her words.

On that note?! I am off to the gym: ) lol hopefully the priest is there this am? hahahahahah

Echo to the blocking. Take pics before it's tiled: )

As an aside, most of the big plumbing fixture manufacturers make grab bars that match their fixture and accessory lines.

Brizo makes quite a few as does Kohler.

I already live with grab bars in my home because I broke a leg in 2016. I have them on either side of the toilet, and in the shower/tub

I like the bars from Kohler Choreography for the shower because they don't look like grab bars & can hold product

I like a minimal bar next to the toilet that doesn't make the place look like a nursing home.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0048AQDNQ/ref=twister_B004TBBZOG?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

Thank you everyone! I so appreciate your insightful thoughts. I do plan to have my contractor do the blocking and we will take photos showing exactly where it is. I had thought to simplify and go straight to grab bars instead of towel bars; but the heights would be different, and that's partly where I was getting hung up. To my eye, towels look better hung higher than 36" on the wall. And my pony wall will be 48"h, with a niche and valve on the inner side; so I cannot have a bar at 36"h (I also cannot have a vertical grab bar there, quite unfortunately). But I realized I need only one bar for towels - on the outside of the pony wall - and I'll make it a towel bar. There will be hooks on another wall for hanging used damp towels.

@Jen Hogan, you make some great points. I hadn't thought of safety bars by the toilet and looked them up. Indeed, that would be an easy purchase if or when needed. I'll block the wall by the toilet just to have the option, but I don't see needing a bar there.

For the shower I'll center a 36" grab bar on the back wall (that's the longest available) - I don't mind doing that now as it's a decorative bar. It would be in easy reach of the bench, and also close enough to the shower head on the opposite wall. Additionally, the handheld shower on the right side wall where the teak bench will be, will have a 24"h grab bar slider. I figure, why not? It may be a little awkward to use the handheld shower while seated, but if someone is standing/showering in front of the bench, the slider would be a good place to grab. Or the bench could be moved to the back wall, which wouldn't be awkward.

@JAN MOYER, I hope you enjoyed your workout! (priest or no priest ;-)

I have lots of recent experience with this: Just designed a guest bath with aging in place in mind for my parents. And just spent a month helping my mom after a medical incident. I have had 8 family members die in their homes with good care and safety. It is possible. Plus grab bars are smart fall prevention well before becoming disabled. A few lessons learned from researching the heck out of this and from an in-home consultation with an occupational therapist during our design phase:

1. Do not consult ADA regulations. (Per multiple OTs.) They are recommended for a wide range of body sizes to suit the general public. Design for heights off the ground that match your body size and reach.

2. When and where it makes sense in the shower (each shower is different) vertical bar upon entry, near controls - sometimes these are the same - and a continuous horizontal bar on the back wall - do a 60" and 20". If that does not appeal, figure out where a 60" would best be positioned, centered does not seem to make sense to me.

3. Use towel hooks not towel bars. Never hang towels on a grab bar. Unsafe to grab for a bar with towels on it, increases chances of slipping and falling.

4. If using a handheld while seated, add a hook at seated arm height on which to hang it while you lather. This could be a permanent hook or they make many attractive hooks with hidden suction devices.

5. I added blocking to the toilet area for the future. My mom has benefited greatly from a chair that goes over the commode with arms on it. She is fit and getting back into shape and it will probably be removed in the months ahead.

6. Brilliant having a niche for products next to the bench. Only bar, or blocking for a bar, I might add is horizontally above the niche and control. Decent entry point area, can hold on to for balance while closing glass door from inside, while adjusting temp, while coming to standing and reaching for door to step out of shower.

7. I'm only 50 and fit yet catch myself instinctively reaching for the grab bars in the guest shower when I use it. Never too young to benefit. The long bar across the back is great for drying hand wash clothing!

8. There are so many companies beyong Moen, Kohler, and Delta that make attractive bars. They don't have to match your other fixtures, they just need to coordinate and look good together. Kartner, Ginger, and others.

9. This OT on youtube is wonderful. Watch some of her videos before you make your final blocking decisions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wED1l1Vilho

10. Shower and floor tiles should have a DCOF rating of .42 or higher. Use rubber gripped bath mat.

11. Have a good night time lighting design.

12. Get the highest toilet you can find. 17" plus. (Unless you are short and it is uncomfortable.)

Good luck!

Wow, Kendrah, you've really been deep into it. I appreciate your experience and pointers, thank you so much. I've been pulled into some other things recently but definitely will watch EquipMeOT's videos. Needless to say, I think it'll be good to block 34-36" high (horizontally) all around the shower space to give me options. If there's room above the niche and valve on the pony wall, I'll do that too; and the toilet area. Good idea to have that all in place!

Beverly, I'm not sure why but I just received a notification and and am seeing your comment now. Thank you so much for your advice and taking the time to mock up the placements you described. And I like the decorative/minimalist bars too. Appreciate your ideas!

Just remember, you can always put blocking in now for bars that you don't hang up until later.