A rail in the wrong spot, at the wrong height or fixed into the wrong wall can be worse than no rail at all. Our AHPRA-registered occupational therapists assess how you move at home, recommend the right rails for you, and help you use your Support at Home funding to get them installed safely.
Before recommending a single rail, our OTs watch how you actually get on and off the toilet, in and out of the shower, and up and down your steps. The Australian Standard gives us a safe technical starting point. OT clinical reasoning decides how it is applied in your home.
Whether you push up, pull up or need something to steady yourself while standing.
Upper-limb strength, balance and which side is stronger.
Rushing to the bathroom, fatigue, night-time toileting and lighting.
Especially for progressive conditions, so the rail still works in a year or two.
Wall space and construction, door swing, wet areas and outdoor exposure.
AS 1428.1 is mandatory for public buildings. In private homes we use it as the safety benchmark, then adjust placement to your height, strength and transfer technique. All heights are measured from finished floor level.
Rails must hold about 110 kg of force. We confirm wall structure with a stud finder and the builder before anything goes up. For homes near the coast, such as Bribie Island, Tin Can Bay and the Sunshine Coast, we recommend grade 316 stainless to resist salt corrosion.
Equipment is often less invasive, faster and easier to fund than building work, so good OT practice asks whether it would work better, or should be trialled first.
When walls can't safely take a rail.
When the toilet has no wall beside it.
Can reduce the need for shower rails.
Instead of building works for small door steps.
Rails work best alongside a floor that grips when wet. See our guide to non-slip bathroom floors. Needs that go beyond minor modifications, such as a bathroom redesign or a long ramp, are referred to one of our OTs trained in complex home modifications.
Since 1 November 2025, Support at Home has replaced Home Care Packages and Short-Term Restorative Care. Grab rails, internal and external handrails, ramps and stair lifts fall under the Assistive Technology and Home Modifications (AT-HM) scheme.
AT-HM funding tiers (up to), generally available for 12 months.
No AT-HM approval yet? Ask your care partner, or call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 to request a reassessment. An OT report helps support approval.
Your care partner refers through our website. We respond within one business day and usually see new clients within 2–3 weeks.
A standard initial assessment is booked for 2 hours; a home and safety assessment for 3 hours. We watch how you use your toilet, shower and steps.
You receive a written report with rail types, positions and heights, plus a quote for follow-up OT time. Your care partner is copied in to approve and nominate a builder or supplier.
Once approved, we confirm measurements and wall structure and work with the builder so the rails go exactly where they should.
After installation we check the rails meet your needs, show you how to use them safely, and photograph them as confirmation of delivery for your provider.
Yes. Grab rails and handrails are home modifications under the Support at Home AT-HM scheme, funded separately from your quarterly budget once your aged care assessment approves AT-HM.
An OT assessment means your rails are the right type, height and position for how you move, are fixed into structural support, and are clearly justified for funding. Providers often arrange an OT assessment for home modifications.
Under AS 1428.1 a horizontal toilet grab rail is usually about 800–810 mm above the finished floor, extending 100–150 mm past the front of the toilet. Your OT adjusts placement to your height, strength and transfer technique.
Between 865 mm and 1,000 mm above the step nosing, extending 300 mm past the top and bottom steps.
No. Rails must be fixed into studs, noggins or masonry and withstand 1,100 N of force. Plasterboard alone won't hold.
Occupational therapy is a clinical support, and clinical supports don't attract a participant contribution under Support at Home.
We respond to referrals within one business day and usually see new clients within 2–3 weeks.
Ask your Support at Home care partner to refer you, or call us on 07 5220 8909.
To book an appointment with an occupational therapist, please call 07 5220 8909 or submit a referral form below.
General Practitioners can send referrals to:
Email: hello@forbes.care
Fax: 07 5302 6482
Address: Shop 15/102 Burnett St, Buderim
Forbes Care and all those that dwell within, acknowledge the traditional Custodians of the land, the Gubbi Gubbi people, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
Forbes Care welcomes all peoples who identify as LGBTQIA+, and those with other diverse genders and sexualities.
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