Licensed #EASTGB744B1. Insured. Senior discounts available. Eastside Grab Bars is owned and operated by Mark Costello, and the business helps older adults across East King County turn a dangerous bathroom into one of the safest rooms in the house. Grab bars are where most clients start, but a full senior bathroom safety upgrade goes further: non-slip treatments, better lighting, raised toilet seats, shower seats, and the kind of small changes that add up to real protection.
A bathroom is small, wet, and full of hard surfaces. For an older person with slower reflexes, reduced grip strength, or a recent hip or knee issue, it is also the single most dangerous room in the home. Work across Issaquah, Bellevue, Redmond, Sammamish, Kirkland, and Newcastle focuses on changing that, one bathroom at a time.
The CDC estimates that about 234,000 older adults are treated in emergency rooms every year for injuries that happen in the bathroom. Three out of four of those injuries involve a fall. The highest risk moments are stepping in and out of the tub, standing up from the toilet, and walking on wet tile.
A single grab bar helps, but a real senior bathroom safety plan addresses all three risks at once. That means secure grab bars where hands naturally land. Non-slip treatments on the tile floor and tub bottom. Lighting that comes on automatically at night. A toilet seat at the right height so standing up does not take a leap of strength. A shower seat for people who can no longer stand for a full shower. Together, those upgrades cut fall risk far more than any one piece on its own.
Not every bathroom needs all of these. The point of a senior bathroom safety visit is to look at the specific person, the specific bathroom, and the specific habits that happen there, then recommend only what matters.
A full bathroom upgrade is often spread across one or two visits so nothing feels rushed.
A call starts with a description of the person who will use the bathroom and any recent falls, surgeries, or new mobility concerns. Ten to fifteen minutes on the phone is enough to plan a useful visit.
The on-site visit spends time in the bathroom with the senior and often with an adult child or spouse. How they move, the tile slip risk, the toilet height, and the current lighting all get evaluated. A written plan and written quote arrive before any work starts.
Every part of the plan shows up on install day. Drop cloths go down, and work happens in a quiet order: grab bars first, then seat or frame, then non-slip treatment, then lighting. Most full upgrades finish in one morning or one full day. Every surface is cleaned before the install ends.
Before leaving, Mark walks the senior through the new bathroom step by step: entering the shower, sitting on the seat, using the grab bar, standing up from the toilet. Real-use practice with the installer on site builds confidence fast. A check-in a few weeks later confirms how the changes are holding up in daily life.
Mark founded Eastside Grab Bars after watching his own aging family members lose confidence in their bathrooms. A few careful upgrades gave that confidence back and kept them in their home. After retiring from the US Small Business Administration in Seattle in 2021, he turned that experience into a local business that focuses only on senior home safety.
Mark holds the Aging in Place Home Safety Advisor designation through Age Safe America, the largest aging-in-place advocacy organization in the country. He volunteers with Rebuilding Together Seattle, installing safety upgrades in the homes of low-income seniors across King County. Between that work and his paid clients, hundreds of bathrooms have been upgraded for older adults in this region.
Pricing depends on how many items are needed. A simple upgrade with two grab bars and non-slip treatment runs much less than a full package with grab bars, shower seat, raised toilet seat, and lighting. A written quote follows the in-home visit so there are no surprises.
Most can. A typical full upgrade takes one morning or one full workday. Larger projects with tile work, shower modifications, or custom fixtures may need a second visit.
Original Medicare usually does not cover grab bars or non-slip treatments as durable medical equipment. Some Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid waivers, VA programs, and long-term care insurance plans do help. Documentation to support a claim is available, but Eastside Grab Bars does not bill insurance directly.
Call Mark at (425) 522-8663, or send a message through the contact form for a same-day response. A safer bathroom is one of the best gifts an older adult can get.
Senior discounts are available.
