Wheeled walkers / rollators

[panniertank]

My MND clinic physio/ OT has lent me a 4 wheeled walker to trial. They assessed me using it outside my house;- not for a long distance but doing some quite tricky things with it such as climbing and descending kerbs. That gave me the confidence to trial it yesterday and the day before and I managed the longest walks I have done outside my house since my last fall in August ( descending a kerb ). But I wasn't walking with 100% confidence. I often struggled to do some things such as descending slopes, even when using the brakes, walking across slopes(e.g driveways access across pavements), walking across pavement drainage etc.
I don't know how much those difficulties were due to my balance or maybe exacerbated by my anxiety about falling ( my rheumatic spinal disease can mean I am 4 times more likely to break bones in a fall ).
So I was just looking for some advice on using a wheeled walking frame and are my expectations maybe too high e.gis it normal to still feel poor balance and difficulty walking across certain things and if so should I carefully restrict what I am walking across. In other words am I expecting too much to be able to walk anywhere (on pavements, tarmac'd walking routes)
Also once my trial / loan is over I will need to buy a wheeled walker if I want to carry on using one. So I was looking for some advice on what things to consider when purchasing one.

[Terry]

Hi PT;

Good to hear you've managed to get out and now had a assessment by your OT.

Going on side slops, down slops and down curbs are the most dangerous. You can put a bit of weight under the seat like a gallon of water to make it more stable. There are many models of rollators which OT's lend or give out but most of them don't have very grippe wheels.

You can buy better ones with tyres that grip a bit better but this won't help much if there is a side slope.

Your Ot should provide you with basic equipment like that free and she will probably leave that one with you.

Love Terry

[Barry52]

Hello panniertank,

Whilst Terry favours weight for stability, I have upper arm strength and prefer a lightweight walker for lifting over obstacles. It is also easier for lifting into a car or bus.
You are right to be anxious about the risks of falling and this tends to make us tense so we freeze up. I find that over uneven surfaces such as cobbled streets and uneven pavements it is best to lift the walker and then with the brakes on step forward. It may be slow but I feel it is safe.
I hope you find a suitable solution to enable you to keep ambulant.

Best wishes,
Barry

[johnburton]

I'm past using a rollator now, but used one happily for a year. I bought my own Topros, ending up with three of them. They are more solid and stable than many flimsier ones I see when out and about. The Topro Troja is a good all rounder. I bought a tray for it and used it to move food and drinks around the house. I added a stick holder to it. I took it on a cruise and did excursions with it.

[panniertank]

Thank you all for your feedback. I just found an interesting website as well ;- ridc.org.uk , research institute for disabled consumers and they provide assessments and advice about various disabled assistance devices.
Cheers, PT

[Terry]

Hi PT:

Thanks for the website, "ridc.org.uk ", It seems to have mainly guides to sizing and equipment that might work.

I was a bit disappointed that it didn't have reviews on specific makes and models of equipment.

I was at my hospice a couple of days ago, and there was a rather large person. They had a wider rollator with better tyres etc. Doubt you could get one from your OT but it would be more stable and better grip, etc.

Love Terry